present definition

English present definition

Alternative forms

• præsent (archaic or pedantic)
• (abbreviation, grammar): ps.

Pronunciation

• (adjective, noun)
  • enPR: prĕzʹənt, IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛzənt/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

  • Hyphenation: pres‧ent
  • Rhymes: -ɛzənt
• (verb)
  • enPR: prĭzĕnt', IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈzɛnt/
  • (Canada) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈzɛnt/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

    ,

    Audio (US)

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Etymology 1

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”).

Adjective

present (comparative more present, superlative most present)

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.
   Up to the present day.

   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 12, in The Mirror and the Lamp‎^[1]:

     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.

2. Located in the immediate vicinity.

   Is there a doctor present?  Several people were present when the event took place.

3. (obsolete) Having an immediate effect (of a medicine, poison etc.); fast-acting. [16th-18th c.]
   • 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: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970, partition 2, section 5, member 1, subsection 5:

     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.

4. (obsolete) Not delayed; immediate; instant.
   • c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, “Measvre for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:

     Sign me a present pardon for my brother,

   • 1636, Philip Massinger, The Bashful Lover:

     An ambassador […] desires a present audience.

5. (dated) Ready; quick in emergency.

   a present wit

6. (obsolete) Favorably attentive; propitious.
   • 1697, Virgil, “Pastoral 1”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432:

     to find a god so present to my prayer

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

   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.

Synonyms

• (relating to now): current; see also Thesaurus:present
• (in vicinity): close, nearby; see also Thesaurus:near
• (having an immediate effect): presentaneous
• (not delayed): instantaneous; see also Thesaurus:instantaneous
• (attentive): audient, heedful, reckful

Antonyms

• (relating to now): future, past
• (in vicinity): absent
• (having an immediate effect): slow-acting
• (not delayed): delayed; see also Thesaurus:delayed
• (attentive): distracted, inattentive

Derived terms

Related terms

• presence

Translations

Noun

present (plural presents)

1. The current moment or period of time.
2. (grammar) The present tense.

Synonyms

• (current time): now; see also Thesaurus:the present

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

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

Noun

present (plural presents)

1. A gift, especially one given for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, or any other special occasions.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:

     “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. […]”

2. (military) The position of a soldier in presenting arms.

   to stand at present

Descendants

• → Japanese: プレゼント (purezento)

Translations

Verb

present (third-person singular simple present presents, present participle presenting, simple past and past participle presented)

1. To bring (someone) into the presence of (a person); to introduce formally. [from 14th c.]

   to present an envoy to the king

2. (transitive) To nominate (a member of the clergy) for an ecclesiastical benefice; to offer to the bishop or ordinary as a candidate for institution. [from 14th c.]
3. (transitive) To offer (a problem, complaint) to a court or other authority for consideration. [from 14th c.]
4. (transitive, now rare) To charge (a person) with a crime or accusation; to bring before court. [from 14th c.]
   • 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society 2012, page 71:

     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’.

5. (reflexive) To come forward, appear in a particular place or before a particular person, especially formally. [from 14th c.]
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Job 1:6:

     Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the lord.

6. (transitive) To put (something) forward in order for it to be seen; to show, exhibit. [from 14th c.]
   • 1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], OCLC 228744960, canto:

     So ladies in romance assist their knight, / Present the spear, and arm him for the fight.

   • 2020, NFL rule 7 section 4 article 7[2]:

     Note: The offensive team must present a legal formation both before and after a shift.

7. (transitive) To make clear to one's mind or intelligence; to put forward for consideration. [from 14th c.]
   • 1927, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes:

     I do begin to realize that the matter must be presented in such a way as may interest the reader.

   • 2012 January 1, Steven Sloman, “The Battle Between Intuition and Deliberation”, in American Scientist‎^[3], volume 100, number 1, page 74:

     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.

8. (transitive) To put on, stage (a play etc.). [from 16th c.]

   The theater is proud to present the Fearless Fliers.

9. (transitive, military) To point (a firearm) at something, to hold (a weapon) in a position ready to fire. [from 16th c.]
10. (reflexive) To offer oneself for mental consideration; to occur to the mind. [from 16th c.]

    Well, one idea does present itself.

11. (intransitive, medicine) To come to the attention of medical staff, especially with a specific symptom. [from 19th c.]

    The patient presented with insomnia.

12. (intransitive, medicine) To appear (in a specific way) for delivery (of a fetus); to appear first at the mouth of the uterus during childbirth. [from 18th c.]
13. (intransitive, with "as") To appear or represent oneself (as having a certain gender).

    At that time, Elbe was presenting as a man.

    • August 24 2021, Shon Faye, “‘I feel like it’s quite shaky acceptance’: trans kids and the fight for inclusion”, in The Guardian:

      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.

14. (transitive) To act as presenter on (a radio, television programme etc.). [from 20th c.]

    Anne Robinson presents "The Weakest Link".

15. (transitive) To give a gift or presentation to (someone). [from 14th c.]

    She was presented with an honorary degree for her services to entertainment.

16. (transitive) To give (a gift or presentation) to someone; to bestow. [from 14th c.]
    • 1801, William Cowper, The Vicissitudes Experienced in the Christian Life

      My last, least offering, I present thee now.

17. (transitive) To deliver (something abstract) as though as a gift; to offer. [from 14th c.]

    I presented my compliments to Lady Featherstoneshaw.

18. (transitive) To hand over (a bill etc.) to be paid. [from 15th c.]
19. (intransitive, 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. [from 20th c.]
20. (fandom slang) In omegaverse fiction, to have one's secondary sex (alpha, omega, or beta) become apparent, typically at puberty. [from 21st c.]
    • 2018, Ninna Ilias, "Reimagining Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Gender Performativity", thesis submitted to Radboud University, page 59:

      Sherlock’s gender performance itself remains unchanged, with the exception of the hormonal changes he goes through after presenting as an omega.

    • 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:

      People “present” their secondary genders during puberty, so girls and boys are raised without knowing if they will be alphas, betas, or omegas.

    • 2020, Julia Elena Goldmann, "How to Write House… Mpreg Fan Fiction and Concepts of Bodies, Gender and Family", geschlecht_transkulturell: Aktuelle Forschungsperspektiven (eds. Eva Hausbacher, Liesa Herbst, Julia Ostwald, & Martina Thiele), page 262:

      Dean’s strong build and height come closer to the stereotypical build of an Alpha than to an Omega, which caused the huge disappointment for his father, who expected him to present as an Alpha.

    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:present.

Derived terms

• present arms

Translations

Further reading

• present in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• present in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• present at OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Serpent, penster, repents, respent, serpent

Catalan present definition

Etymology

From Latin praesens, attested from the 13th century.^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /pɾəˈzent/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /pɾəˈzen/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /pɾeˈzent/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

present m (plural presents)

1. present (current moment or period of time)
2. (grammar) present (grammatical tense)

Adjective

present (masculine and feminine plural presents)

1. present (at a given location)

Derived terms

• tenir present

References

Further reading

• “present” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “present” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “present” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish present definition

Etymology

From French présent, from présenter (“to present”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /prɛsanɡ/, [pʰʁ̥ɛˈsɑŋ]

Noun

present c (singular definite presenten, plural indefinite presenter)

1. (dated) present, gift

   Synonym: gave

Inflection

Ladin present definition

Alternative forms

• prejent, presënt

Adjective

present m (feminine singular presenta, masculine plural presenc, feminine plural presentes)

1. present

Middle French present definition

Noun

present m (plural presens)

1. gift; present
   • 1417, La disputation de l'Asne contre frere Anselme Turmeda [4]

     Un iour qu'il alloit par ladite cité & passant p[ar] la rue de la mer, veit une guenon dedans un panier & l'acheta pour en faire un present audit conte d'Armignac son parent, pource que en France i'a pas beaucoup de telz animaux.

     One day as he was walking through said city and passing through la Rue de Mer, he saw an Old World monkey in a basket and bought it to give it as a present to the Count of Armignac, his father, because there are not many animals like this one in France.

2. (grammar) present (tense)

Old French present definition

Noun

present m (oblique plural presenz or presentz, nominative singular presenz or presentz, nominative plural present)

1. gift; present
   • circa 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:

     Itant out li Quens un present
     D'une cupe chiere d'argent

     At this moment he presented the Count
     With a valuable silver cup

2. (grammar) present (tense)

Swedish present definition

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /preˈsent/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

present c

1. gift, present

Declension

Synonyms

• gåva, klapp