presents
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
presents
gifts: The child received a lot of presents.; things presented: The company presents its new president.
Not to be confused with:
presence – the state of being present: Your presence is requested at the meeting.; a person’s bearing or force of personality: His presence was commanding.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
pres·ent 1
(prĕz′ənt)n.
1. A moment or period in time perceptible as intermediate between past and future; now.
2. Grammar
a. The present tense.
b. A verb form in the present tense.
3. presents Law The document or instrument in question: Be it known by these presents.
adj.
Idioms: 1. Existing or happening now; current: the present leader; present trends.
2.
a. Being at hand or in attendance: Thirty guests were present at the ceremony.
b. Existing in something specified: Oxygen is present in the bloodstream.
3. Now being considered; actually here or involved: the present subject; present company excepted.
4. Grammar Designating a verb tense or form that expresses current time.
5. Archaic Readily available; immediate.
6. Obsolete Alert to circumstances; attentive.
at present
At the present time; right now.
for the present
For the time being; temporarily.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praesēns, praesent-, present participle of praeesse, to be present : prae-, pre- + esse, to be; see es- in Indo-European roots.]
pres′ent·ness n.
pre·sent 2
(prĭ-zĕnt′)v. pre·sent·ed, pre·sent·ing, pre·sents
v.tr.
1.
a. To make a gift or award of: presented the medal to the winner.
b. To make a gift to: presented the winner with a medal.
2.
a. To offer for observation, examination, or consideration; show or display: The detective presented his badge.
b. To offer (a play, for example) for public entertainment.
c. To afford or furnish: The situation presented us with a chance to improve our knowledge.
d. To turn or position in the direction of another: presented his face to the camera.
e. Immunology To display (an antigen) on the cell surface. Used especially of cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells, where the displayed antigen activates T cells as part of an immune response.
3. To represent or depict in a certain manner: The movie presents bankers as greedy and coldhearted.
4.
a. To introduce, especially with formal ceremony.
b. To introduce (a young woman) to society with conventional ceremony.
5. To hold, carry, or point (a weapon) in a particular manner as a salutation or sign of honor, usually along the center axis of the body.
6. Ecclesiastical To recommend (a cleric) for a benefice.
v.intr.
1. To make a presentation.
2. Medicine
a. To be evident or manifest. Used of a disease or condition: how Lyme disease presents in its later stages.
b. To exhibit symptoms or signs during a medical examination: The patient presented with headache and heel pain.
n.
1. pres·ent (prĕz′ənt) Something presented; a gift.
2. pre·sent (prĭ-zĕnt′) The position of a rifle or other weapon when presented.
[Middle English presenten, from Old French presenter, from Latin presentāre, to show, from praesēns, praesent-, present participle of praeesse, to be in front of; see present1.]
pre·sent′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
presents
(ˈprɛzənts)pl n
(Law) law used in a deed or document to refer to itself: know all men by these presents.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014