Standard Lemma guide

preside

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /pɹɪˈzaɪd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: P R IH0 Z AY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: P R IY0 Z AY1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To act as president or chairperson.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To exercise authority or control.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: oversit, moderate

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To be a featured solo performer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

Examples

  • I’ll preside at the organ.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

act as president

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • preside over companies and corporations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: control, command

History

Etymology

From Old French presider, from Latin praesidēre (“preside”), from pre- (“before”) + sedere (“to sit”). Displaced Old English foresittan, which might have been a calque of the Latin.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: председателствам (predsedatelstvam) — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Dutch: voorzitten — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Esperanto: prezidi — to act as a president or chairperson
  • French: présider — to act as a president or chairperson
  • German: den Vorsitz haben — to act as a president or chairperson
  • German: präsidieren — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Gothic: 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (faurastandan) — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Ancient Greek: προστατέω (prostatéō) — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Hindi: पीठासीन (pīṭhāsīn) — to act as a president or chairperson
  • White Hmong: saib — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Irish: dul sa chathaoir — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Italian: presiedere — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Latin: praesum — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Latin: sedeō — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Old English: foresittan — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Polish: prezydować — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Polish: przewodniczyć — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Romanian: prezida — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Russian: председа́тельствовать (predsedátelʹstvovatʹ) — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Serbo-Croatian: предсје́дати — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Serbo-Croatian: predsjédati — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Spanish: presidir — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Turkish: başkanlık etmek — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Turkish: başkanlık yapmak — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Turkish: yönetmek — to act as a president or chairperson
  • Ukrainian: головува́ти (holovuváty) — to act as a president or chairperson