Meaning & use
present
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Meanings
nouncountable
A gift given to someone to celebrate an occasion or show kindness.
Grammar: Takes a plural: one present, many presents.
Patterns
- give someone a present
- a birthday/Christmas present
- open a present
She wrapped the present in blue paper.
The children could not wait to open their presents.
He gave his neighbor a small present to say thank you.
adjectivenot comparable
Existing or happening now, or located in the place being considered.
Grammar: No comparative; use before nouns or after be: the present situation, dangers are present.
Patterns
- the present situation
- be present at something
- present dangers
We cannot change the present situation quickly.
Several parents were present at the meeting.
Please focus on the present problem, not the old one.
verbtransitive
To formally give, show, or introduce someone or something to an audience.
Grammar: Takes an object; pronounced with second-syllable stress, unlike the noun and adjective.
Patterns
- present something to someone
- present someone with something
- present yourself as something
The mayor presented the award to the winner.
She presented her research at the conference.
He tried to present himself as calm during the interview.
Word forms
| plural | presents |
|---|---|
| third person singular | presents |
| past tense | presented |
| past participle | presented |
| -ing form | presenting |
Common combinations
- birthday present
- I bought a birthday present for my sister.
- present an award
- The coach will present the award after the match.
- present a report
- She will present the report to the board on Friday.
- be present at
- Only staff were present at the closed meeting.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gift
- Very close in meaning, but gift can sound slightly more formal or less tied to a birthday or holiday.
- token
- Suggests a small gift that shows appreciation rather than a valuable present.
Opposites
Word family
- presentation noun
- The act of presenting something, or a talk with slides.
- presenter noun
- A person who introduces a show or gives a presentation.
- presence noun
- The state of being in a place.
Commonly confused: present or presently?
present vs presently
Presently means soon or now in some varieties, not “in the present place.”
Practice
Choose the best preposition: She gave him a present ___ his birthday.
Choose one answer.
For marks the occasion: a present for his birthday. On fits days or dates, not this possessive occasion phrase; to introduces a recipient, as in gave a present to him.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “present”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.