Meaning & use
preside
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Meaning
verbintransitive
To be in charge of or control a meeting, ceremony, or organization.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by 'over': preside over a meeting.
Patterns
- preside over something
- preside at something
The judge presided over the trial with great care.
She presided at the committee meeting in the chairman's absence.
The mayor presided over the opening ceremony.
Word forms
| third person singular | presides |
|---|---|
| past tense | presided |
| past participle | presided |
| present participle | presiding |
Common combinations
- preside over a meeting
- The chairperson presided over the meeting efficiently.
- preside at a ceremony
- The bishop presided at the wedding ceremony.
- preside over a court
- The judge presided over the court for many years.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: preside or president?
preside vs president
President is a noun for the person in charge; preside is the verb meaning to be in charge.
Practice
The senior judge will ______ over the final hearing tomorrow.
Choose one answer.
After the modal verb 'will', the base form 'preside' is needed. 'President' is a noun, 'presiding' is a participle, and 'presides' is the third-person singular, which does not follow 'will'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preside”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.