Home › Words › P › presidepreside/pɹɪˈzaɪd/preside means to act as president or chairperson.preside is pronounced /pɹɪˈzaɪd/.EtymologyFrom 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.verbTo act as president or chairperson.To exercise authority or control.To be a featured solo performer.e.g.“I’ll preside at the organ.”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.seigniorize 64% match — To preside, hold sway. vs preside →chairperson 62% match — A chairman or chairwoman, someone who presides over a meeting, board, etc. vs preside →chairpersonship 59% match — The office or term of a chairperson. vs preside →hylarchical 59% match — Presiding over matter. vs preside →chairship 59% match — chairpersonship vs preside →supervise 58% match — To oversee or direct (a task or organization). vs preside →chairman 57% match — A person presiding over a meeting, sometimes especially a man. (Compare chairwoman, chairperson, chair.) vs preside →foresit 56% match — To take precedence or superiority over; to preside over. vs preside →