Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To hold the position of authority; act as chairperson or president.
  • intransitive verb To possess or exercise authority or control.
  • intransitive verb Music To be the featured instrumental performer.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To be set over others; have the place of authority, as a chairman or director; direct and control, as a chief officer: usually denoting temporary superintendence and direction: as, to preside over a society; to preside at a public meeting.
  • To exercise superintendence and direction; have a guiding or controlling influence: as, the fates preside over man's destiny.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To be set, or to sit, in the place of authority; to occupy the place of president, chairman, moderator, director, etc.; to direct, control, and regulate, as chief officer
  • intransitive verb To exercise superintendence; to watch over.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To act as president or chairperson.
  • verb intransitive To exercise authority or control, oversit.
  • verb intransitive, music To be a featured solo performer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb act as president

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French présider, from Old French, from Latin praesidēre : prae-, pre- + sedēre, to sit; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French presider, from Latin praesidere ("to preside"), from pre- ("before") + sedere ("to sit").

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Examples

  • The object of the Royal Commission, over which I have the honour to preside, is to strengthen the foundations and pillars of justice by drawing blueprints for im provement of the laws of Ontario as they express the power of the state in its relation to the individual.

    The State and the Individual 1968

  • Though she might not have actually used the word preside; it doesn’t sound much like Summer, to be fair.

    Confetti Confidential Holly McQueen 2010

  • Though she might not have actually used the word preside; it doesn’t sound much like Summer, to be fair.

    Confetti Confidential Holly McQueen 2010

  • My exclusive interview with the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, calling preside Bush -- and I'm quoting now -- "a total failure."

    CNN Transcript Jul 18, 2008 2008

  • How many Dade County judges (UM Law grads) now "preside" over Jerry Springer-style daytime "courtroom" shows?

    Discourse.net: Shortest Day Not Very Short 2008

  • On the other hand, isn't that "preside" "preside" approach what Alberto Gonzales thought the Attorney General was supposed to do for the DOJ?

    Obama "is not a messiah and does not act or speak like one. He's a traditionalist in many ways." Ann Althouse 2009

  • Examples are zilu 'who presides' to zil- 'preside', zilaχnu 'who has occupied the presidency, president' to zilaχ 'presidency, magistracy' and lupu 'who dies, is dead, dead man' to lup- 'die'.

    Archive 2009-01-01 2009

  • Examples are zilu 'who presides' to zil- 'preside', zilaχnu 'who has occupied the presidency, president' to zilaχ 'presidency, magistracy' and lupu 'who dies, is dead, dead man' to lup- 'die'.

    Etruscan grammatical sketch almost works 2009

  • Neapolis, [1358] which is near Zarbus, [1359] and Eulogius, and Sobelus the presbyter, be sent to us, that we be not destitute of such as preside over the divine word as Moses also says, "Let the Lord God look out a man who shall guide this people, and the congregation of the Lord shall not be as sheep which have no shepherd."

    ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus 1819-1893 2001

  • The effect may be considerable, as male drinkers do undoubtedly take a delight in the pleasant looks and bright talk of the young ladies who, as the French say, "preside" at these establishments.

    Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 1, January 1886 Various

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