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presently

adverb
pres·​ent·​ly | \ ˈpre-zᵊnt-lÄ“ How to pronounce presently (audio) \

Definition of presently

1a archaic : at once
b : without undue delay : before long
2 : at the present time : now
Synonyms Usage of Presently Example Sentences Learn More about presently

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Usage of Presently

Both senses 1b and 2 are flourishing in current English, but many commentators have objected to sense 2. Since this sense has been in continuous use since the 15th century, it is not clear why it is objectionable. Perhaps a note in the Oxford English Dictionary (1909) that the sense has been obsolete since the 17th century in literary English is to blame, but the note goes on to observe that the sense is in regular use in most English dialects. The last citation in that dictionary is from a 1901 Leeds newspaper, written in Standard English. Sense 2 is most common in contexts relating to business and politics. the fastest-rising welfare cost is Medicaid, presently paid by the states and cities — William Safire

Examples of presently in a Sentence

I cannot attend to the matter this instant, but I will presently. we are presently waiting in line for our turn

Recent Examples on the Web

 Dan loathes the concept of women being able to make decisions about their own bodies, to an extent as extreme as presently exists in America. — Nick Martin, The New Republic, "Two Dans, Two Elections, and No Winners," 10 Sep. 2019 The new pad—at the relatively new launch site and a priority of Russian President Vladimir Putin—will serve an Angara rocket that is presently scheduled to begin flying in 2021, NASASpaceFlight.com reports. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Cause of Vega failure found, China seeks rocket customers," 6 Sep. 2019 Phillips said a similar deal could be arranged with the University of South Alabama, which presently plays its home football games at Ladd-Peebles. — al, "Metal detectors being installed at all Mobile high school football venues," 3 Sep. 2019 Historically, the municipal bond market has filled this gap, which, in the United States, is presently comprised of $3.8 trillion in outstanding municipal debt. — James Spiotto For Cnn Business Perspectives, CNN, "Puerto Rico's financial woes are hurting US infrastructure," 29 Aug. 2019 There are presently two viable bids for the final two berths, but as the lengthy expansion process has shown, things can change quite quickly. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "St. Louis Secures MLS Expansion Team; Are Sacramento, Charlotte Next?," 20 Aug. 2019 Most likely there is there is some, but there is no technology to extract it presently. — Los Angeles Times, "Q&A: Trump wants to buy Greenland. How much is it worth anyway?," 23 Aug. 2019 The population of Africa presently stands at 1.3 billion and is forecast to grow rapidly to as many as 2.5 billion by the middle of this century, accounting for a quarter of the world’s population. — Japan News-yomiuri, Twin Cities, "Other voices: Technological innovations will boost Africa’s growth," 22 Aug. 2019 Xiaomi’s post says other smartphone manufacturers can apply to join the presently allied trio. — Sam Byford, The Verge, "Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo collaborate on AirDrop-style file transfer," 19 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'presently.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of presently

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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More Definitions for presently

presently

adverb
How to pronounce presently (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of presently

: during the time that is happening now : at the present time
: after a short time

See the full definition for presently in the English Language Learners Dictionary

presently

adverb
pres·​ent·​ly | \ ˈpre-zᵊnt-lÄ“ How to pronounce presently (audio) \

Kids Definition of presently

1 : before long : soon He searched … for fallen limbs of trees; presently he found a … branch.— Virginia Hamilton, M. C. Higgins
2 : at the present time : now She's presently at home.

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More from Merriam-Webster on presently

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for presently

Spanish Central: Translation of presently

Nglish: Translation of presently for Spanish Speakers

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