Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

present

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adjective British English pronunciation: present /ˈprez(ə)nt/
  1. 1
    [only before noun] existing or happening now

    The present situation cannot be allowed to continue.

    In his present emotional state, he is capable of doing anything.

    The present owners purchased the farm in 1976.

    the present day (=now):

    the history of Scotland from the 16th century to the present day

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  presentThesaurus entry for this meaning of present
    1. a.
      being considered now

      The 550 researchers in the present study have published a total of 6490 papers.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  presentThesaurus entry for this meaning of present
  2. 2
    [never before noun] at an event, or in a place

    I wasn’t present when Dr Allott examined Clare.

    present at:

    Among those present at the ceremony were the ambassador and his wife.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  presentThesaurus entry for this meaning of present
    1. a.
      existing somewhere

      The chemicals obviously kill any bacteria present.

      present in:

      Both kinds of nucleic acid are present in all cells.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  presentThesaurus entry for this meaning of present

phrases

This is the British English definition of present. View American English definition of present.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

glottal stop

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog