present

adj, noun, verb — 34 senses

present

adj

CA, US, UK /ˈpɹɛz.ənt/ · AU, NZ /ˈpɹez.ənt/

Etymology From Middle English present, from Old French present, from Latin praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse (“to be present”), from Latin prae- (“pre-”) + esse (“to be”).

9 senses
  1. 1Relating to now, for the time being; current.
  2. 2Located in the immediate vicinity.
  3. 3Having an immediate effect (of a medicine, poison etc.)…
  4. 4Not delayed; immediate; instant.
  5. 5Ready; quick in emergency.
  6. 6Favorably attentive; propitious.
  7. 7Relating to something a person is referring to in the…
  8. 8Attentive; alert; focused.
  9. 9Neither for or against (used in voting to express abstention)
1

Relating to now, for the time being; current.

  • The barbaric practice continues to the present day.
  • The present manager has been here longer than the last one.
2 more examples
  • up to the present day
  • All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill. It was ugly, gross. Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connexion […] such talk had been distressingly out of place.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
2

Located in the immediate vicinity.

  • Only half of all present members were present at the meeting.
  • Is there a doctor present?
2 more examples
  • Several people were present when the event took place.
  • Being the leader, Jason is always present at class.
3

Obsolete Having an immediate effect (of a medicine, poison etc.); fast-acting.

  • Amongſt this number of Cordials and Alteratiues, J doe not find a more preſent remedy, then a cup of wine, or ſtrong drinke, and if it be ſoberly and opportunely vſed.1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Alteratiues and Corials, corroborating, reſoluing the reliques, and mending the Temperament”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 2, section 5, member 1, subsection 5:
4

Obsolete Not delayed; immediate; instant.

  • Sign me a present pardon for my brother,c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
  • An ambassador[…]desires a present audience.1636, Philip Massinger, The Bashful Lover:
5

Dated Ready; quick in emergency.

  • a present wit
6

Obsolete Favorably attentive; propitious.

  • to find a god so present to my prayer1697, Virgil, “Pastoral 1”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
7

Relating to something a person is referring to in the very context, with a deictic use similar to the demonstrative adjective this.

  • Near-synonyms: this (determiner), this (pronoun), current
  • in the present study; the present article; the present results
8

Attentive; alert; focused.

  • Sorry, I was distracted just now, I'll try to be more present from now on.
9

Government, Politics Neither for or against (used in voting to express abstention)

Synonyms
current, close, nearby, presentaneous, instantaneous, audient, heedful, reckful, contemporary, hodiern, modern, present, present-day
Antonyms
antonym(s) of, absent, slow-acting, delayed, distracted, inattentive, future, past
Derived terms
46 termsall-present, all present and correct, at present, at the present time, corsepresent, hyperpresent, multipresent, nonpresent, omnipresent, overpresent, present company excepted, presentism, presentist, presently, presentness, present participial, telepresent, unpresent, copresent, ever-present, historical present, historic present, in present, net present value, present active participle, present company excluded, present conditional, present continuous, present historic, present imperfect, present indefinite, present indicative, present participle, present perfect, present perfect continuous, present perfect progressive, present progressive, present sense impression, present simple, present subjunctive, present system, present tense, present value, preterite-present, preterite-present verb, simple present
Related terms
presence, the present, gift

present

noun

Etymology From Middle English present, from Old French present, from Latin praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse (“to be present”), from Latin prae- (“pre-”) + esse (“to be”).

1

The current moment or period of time.

2

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences The present tense.

Synonyms
now
Derived terms
dramatic present, ethnographic present, for the present, literary present, narrative present, Narten present, no time like the present, present-day, presentive, presentless, specious present, there's no time like the present

present

verb

UK /pɹɪˈzɛnt/ · US /pɹɪˈzɛnt/

Etymology From Middle English presenten, from Old French presenter, from Latin praesentāre (“to show”), from praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse (“be in front of”).

20 senses
  1. 1To bring (someone) into the presence of (a person); to…
  2. 2To appear or represent oneself outwardly.
  3. 3To nominate (a member of the clergy) for an ecclesiastica…
  4. 4To offer (a problem, complaint) to a court or other…
  5. 5To charge (a person) with a crime or accusation; to…
  6. 6To come forward, appear in a particular place or before…
  7. 7To put (something) forward in order for it to be seen…
  8. 8To make clear to one's mind or intelligence; to put…
  9. 9To put on, stage (a play etc.).
  10. 10To point (a firearm) at something, to hold (a weapon) in…
  11. 11To offer oneself for mental consideration; to occur to the mind.
  12. 12To come to the attention of medical staff, especially…
  13. 13To appear (in a specific way) for delivery (of a fetus)…
  14. 14To appear or represent oneself (as having a certain gender).
  15. 15To act as presenter on (a radio, television programme etc.).
  16. 16To give a gift or presentation to (someone).
  17. 17To deliver (something abstract) as though as a gift; to offer.
  18. 18To hand over (a bill etc.) to be paid.
  19. 19To display one's female genitalia in a way that signals…
  20. 20In omegaverse fiction, to have one's secondary sex…
1

To bring (someone) into the presence of (a person); to introduce formally.

  • to present an envoy to the king
2

To appear or represent oneself outwardly.

  • With your shabby attire, you do not present well as a prospective investment banking associate!
3

To nominate (a member of the clergy) for an ecclesiastical benefice; to offer to the bishop or ordinary as a candidate for institution.

4

To offer (a problem, complaint) to a court or other authority for consideration.

5

Archaic To charge (a person) with a crime or accusation; to bring before court.

  • In the diocese of Gloucester in 1548 two inhabitants of Slimbridge were presented for saying that holy oil was ‘of no virtue but meet to grease sheep’.1971, Sir Keith Vivian Thomas, “3. The Impact of the Reformation”, in Religion and the Decline of Magic: Studies in popular beliefs in sixteenth and seventeenth century England, 1st edition, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; Orion Publishing Group, Limited; Folio Society, published 1971, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, pages 74–75:
6

To come forward, appear in a particular place or before a particular person, especially formally.

  • Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the lord.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 1:6:
7

To put (something) forward in order for it to be seen; to show, exhibit.

  • So ladies in romance assist their knight, / Present the spear, and arm him for the fight.1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, canto:
  • Note: The offensive team must present a legal formation both before and after a shift.2020, NFL rule 7 section 4 article 7https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/illegal-shift/
8

To make clear to one's mind or intelligence; to put forward for consideration.

  • I do begin to realize that the matter must be presented in such a way as may interest the reader.1927, Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, “II. The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier”, in The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, published 1927, →OCLC, page 49:
  • Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that “nudges” our intuitive selves to make choices that are more consistent with what our more deliberative selves would have chosen if they were in control.2012 January 23, Steven Sloman, “The Battle Between Intuition and Deliberation”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2012, page 74:
9

To put on, stage (a play etc.).

  • The theater is proud to present the Fearless Fliers.
10

Government, Military, Politics, War To point (a firearm) at something, to hold (a weapon) in a position ready to fire.

11

To offer oneself for mental consideration; to occur to the mind.

  • Well, one idea does present itself.
12

Medicine, Sciences To come to the attention of medical staff, especially with a specific symptom.

  • The patient presented with insomnia.
  • Symptoms typically present in early childhood.
13

Medicine, Sciences To appear (in a specific way) for delivery (of a fetus); to appear first at the mouth of the uterus during childbirth.

14

With "as" To appear or represent oneself (as having a certain gender).

  • At that time, Elbe was presenting as a man.
  • In May 2019, a case was referred to the high court in which social workers for Lancashire county council had sought orders against the parents of two trans children to take the children into care. Social services were alerted when H, the couple’s three-year-old foster child, born male, had gone into school presenting as a girl.August 24 2021, Shon Faye, “‘I feel like it’s quite shaky acceptance’: trans kids and the fight for inclusion”, in The Guardian:
15

To act as presenter on (a radio, television programme etc.).

  • Anne Robinson presents "The Weakest Link".
16

To give a gift or presentation to (someone).

  • She was presented with an honorary degree for her services to entertainment.
  • Live thou, and reign, forever, glorious Lord! / My last, least off’ring, I present thee now— / Renounce me, leave me, and be still ador’d! / Slay me, my God, and I applaud the blow.1980, William Cowper, “The Vicissitudes Experienced in a Christian Life”, in Baird, John D., Ryskamp, Charles, editors, The poems of William Cowper (Cantique; 69), revised edition, volume 3, quoted in translated from Madame Guyon and published in 1801, Oxford; New York City: Clarendon Press; Oxford University Press, →ISBN, →ISSN Invalid ISSN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 91, lines 117–120:
17

To deliver (something abstract) as though as a gift; to offer.

  • I presented my compliments to Lady Featherstoneshaw.
18

To hand over (a bill etc.) to be paid.

19

Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology To display one's female genitalia in a way that signals to others that one is ready for copulation. Also referred to as lordosis behaviour.

20

Lifestyle Slang In omegaverse fiction, to have one's secondary sex (alpha, omega, or beta) become apparent, typically at puberty.

  • Sherlock’s gender performance itself remains unchanged, with the exception of the hormonal changes he goes through after presenting as an omega.2018, Ninna Ilias, "Reimagining Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Gender Performativity", thesis submitted to Radboud University, page 59
  • People “present” their secondary genders during puberty, so girls and boys are raised without knowing if they will be alphas, betas, or omegas.2019, Tessa Baron, "Just Go Find Yourself a Nice Alpha: Gender and Consent in Supernatural Fandom's Alpha/Beta/Omega Universe", thesis submitted to Oregon State University, page 17
Derived terms
malpresent, mispresent, presentability, presentable, present arms, presentative, presentee, presentive, presentment, represent

present

noun

Etymology From Middle English presenten, from Old French presenter, from Latin praesentāre (“to show”), from praesent-, praesens, present participle of praeesse (“be in front of”).

1

A gift, especially one given for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, or any other special occasions.

  • wedding present
  • birthday present
3 more examples
  • Oh! Thank you for the presents! How considerate of you!
  • Only his friends attended his birthday party. They're all broke, so he got no present.
  • “A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.[…]”1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
2

Government, Military, Politics, War The position of a soldier in presenting arms.

  • The platoon stands at present.
  • He was at present near the headquarters gates.
  • I think our toddler's just left us a little present in his diaper...
  • She has to deal with her cats' presents in the litterboxes on a daily basis, and she doesn't mind one bit.
Derived terms
Christmas present, compresent, presentless, pressie, push present

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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