present
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- here, at hand, near, nearby, ready, there
- current, contemporary, existent, existing, immediate, present-day
[noun]
Synonyms:
- the present: now, here and now, the present moment, the time being, today
- at present: just now, at the moment, now, right now
- for the present: for now, for the moment, for the time being, in the meantime, temporarily
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[noun]
Synonyms:
- gift, boon, donation, endowment, grant, gratuity, hand-out, offering, prezzie (informal)
[verb]
Synonyms:
- introduce, acquaint with, make known
- put on, display, exhibit, give, show, stage
- give, award, bestow, confer, grant, hand out, hand over

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Antonyms: past, future
Contrasted words: bygone, erstwhile, late, old, once, onetime, quondam, sometime, whilom
Related Idioms: here and now, this day and age
Related Words: contemporaneous, modern, newfashioned, up-to-date, up-to-the-minute

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English Thesaurus: give, donate, award, present, leave, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. pres‧ent¹ S2 W2 /ˈprezənt/ adjective
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin praesens, present participle of praeesse 'to be before']

1. PLACE [not before noun] in a particular place Antonym : absent
present at/in
Foreign observers were present at the elections.
the gases present in the Earth’s atmosphere

2. MEMORY [not before noun] to be felt strongly or remembered for a long time
present in
The memory of her brother’s death is still present in her mind.

3. TIME [only before noun] happening or existing now:
the present situation of the millions of people who are suffering poverty and disease
At the present time we have no explanation for this.

4. the present day (also the present) in the time now, or modern times:
The practice has continued from medieval times to the present day.

5. all present and correct British English, all present and accounted for American English used to say that everyone who is supposed to be in a place, at a meeting etc is now here

6. present company excepted spoken used when you are criticizing a group of people and you want to tell the people you are with that they are not included in the criticism:
Women are never satisfied with anything! Present company excepted, of course.
⇒ presently

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. pre‧sent² S2 W1 /prɪˈzent/ verb
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: presenter, from Latin praesentare, from praesens; ⇒ present¹]

1. GIVE [transitive] to give something to someone, for example at a formal or official occasion
present somebody with something
He was presented with a bottle of champagne.
She was presented with an award.
present something to somebody/something
The computer centre presented a cheque for £500 to cancer research.

2. CAUSE SOMETHING TO HAPPEN [transitive] to cause something to happen or exist
present somebody with something
I knew I had presented her with an impossible task.
present a problem/difficulty
Large classes present great problems to many teachers.

3. present yourself to talk and behave in a particular way when you meet people:
He presents himself well.

4. DESCRIPTION [transitive] to show or describe someone or something:
The artist was determined to present an accurate picture.
We’ll present the information using a chart.
present somebody as something
Shakespeare presents the hero as a noble man doomed to make mistakes.
present yourself as something
The government presents itself as being sensitive to environmental issues.

5. SPEECH [transitive] to give a speech in which you offer an idea, plan etc to be considered or accepted:
Our manager is due to present the report at the end of the month.
present something to somebody
On January 3 the company will present its plans to the bank.

6. DOCUMENT/TICKET [transitive] to show something such as an official document or ticket to someone in an official position:
You must present your passport to the customs officer.

7. THEATRE/CINEMA [transitive] to give a performance in a theatre, cinema etc, or broadcast a programme on television or radio:
Edinburgh Theatre Company presents ‘The Wind in the Willows’.

8. TELEVISION/RADIO [transitive] British English if you present a television or radio programme, you introduce its different parts Synonym : host American English:
Thursday’s ‘The Late Show’ was presented by Cynthia Rose.

9. APPEARANCE [transitive] to give something or someone a particular appearance or style:
The restaurant likes to present food with style.

10. something presents itself if a situation, opportunity etc presents itself, it suddenly happens or exists:
I’ll tell her as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

11. FORMALLY INTRODUCE SOMEBODY [transitive] to formally introduce someone to another person, especially to someone of a very high rank:
I was presented to the Queen in 1964.

12. present your apologies/compliments etc formal used to greet someone, say sorry to them etc very politely:
Mrs. Gottlieb presents her apologies and regrets she will not be able to attend.

13. ILLNESS [intransitive and transitive] medical to show an illness by having a particular symptom (=sign of an illness):
The doctor asked whether any of the children had been presenting any unusual symptoms.
Three of the five patients presented with fever and severe headaches.

14. present arms when soldiers present arms, they hold their guns straight up in front of them while an officer or other important person walks past

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. pres‧ent³ S2 W3 /ˈprezənt/ noun
[Sense 1: Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: presenter; ⇒ present²]
[Sense 2-4: Date: 1200-1300; Origin: ⇒ present¹]

1. [countable] something you give someone on a special occasion or to thank them for something Synonym : gift:
I’m looking for a present for Mark.

2. the present
a) the time that is happening now:
Stop worrying about the past and live in the present.
The film is set sometime between 1995 and the present.
‘When do you want to start?’ ‘Well, there’s no time like the present (=used to say that if you are going to do something at all, you should do it now).’
b) technical the form of the verb that shows what exists or is happening now Synonym : the present tense

3. at present at this time Synonym : now:
The item you want is not available at present.
At present, the airport handles 110 flights a day.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say at the moment rather than at present:
I’m looking for a new job at the moment.

4. for the present something that exists or will be done for the present exists now and will continue for a while, though it may change in the future:
The company is still in business, at least for the present.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say for now, rather than for the present:
That’s all we have time for for now.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

present
adj.
VERBS be | remain
ADV. ever the ever present risk of pollution
PHRASES past and present a list of all club members, past and present

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

present
noun
ADJ. anniversary, birthday, Christmas, wedding
VERB + PRESENT buy | get, receive | give sb, send sb | wrap (up) | open, unwrap
PREP. ~ for a present for my daughter
~ from, ~ to It's a present to us all from Granny.
PHRASES make sb a present of sth My nephew loves this bike so I'm going to make him a present of it.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

present
verb
ADV. clearly, well The arguments were well researched and clearly presented.
attractively, neatly | orally, visually The results can be presented visually in the form of a graph.
VERB + PRESENT aim to, attempt to, seek to, try to We have tried to present both sides of the debate.
be designed to Hotel brochures are designed to present the most attractive aspects of the hotel.
PREP. as He likes to present himself as a radical politician.
to He presented the information to his colleagues.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

present
I.
noun
1.
BAD: In the present she is involved in a project at the Housing Research Institute.
GOOD: At present she is involved in a project at the Housing Research Institute.

Usage Note:
at present or at the present time (NOT in the present): 'I'm afraid that we're out of stock at present.'
Compare: 'In future, don't keep the customers waiting.'

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2.
DUBIOUS: At present I'm trying to improve my English.
GOOD: At the moment I'm trying to improve my English.

Usage Note:
At present is used mainly in formal styles: 'At present there is insufficient evidence for the police to press charges.'
In other styles use at the moment, just now or right now : 'Alan is in bed with flu at the moment.' 'Mrs Blake is too busy to see anyone just now.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

present
II.
verb
1.
BAD: They decided to present a tiny kitten to their son.
GOOD: They decided to give their son a tiny kitten.

Usage Note:
present (verb) = give something (to someone) during an official ceremony or meeting: 'The company's vice-president will now present the prize for the Best Salesperson of the Year.' 'Before leaving London, Mr Bush was presented with a petition from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.'

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2.
BAD: Before leaving the examination room we had to present our answer papers.
GOOD: Before leaving the examination room we had to hand in our answer papers.

Usage Note:
See PASS UP

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

give to let someone have something, without expecting to be paid for it:
He was always giving me gifts.
They gave a free drink to all their customers.
donate to give money to an organization that helps people or protects something, or to give your blood or part of your body to save someone’s life:
The company donates 1 per cent of its profits to charity.
70% of people wanted to donate their organs after death.
award to officially give money or a prize to someone:
She was awarded a million dollars in damages.
Hollywood awarded him an Oscar for his performance.
present to formally or officially give something to someone by putting it in their hands, especially at a formal ceremony:
They presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
leave (also bequeath /bɪˈkwiːð, bɪˈkwiːθ/ formal) to officially arrange for someone to have something that you own after your death:
He left most of his property to his wife.
lavish somebody with something/lavish something on somebody formal to give someone a lot of something, especially praise, attention, or gifts:
After his team won, the press lavished him with praise.
confer formal to give someone an honour, a university degree, or the right or power to do something:
the powers conferred on him by Parliament
the highest honor that her country could confer on her
bestow formal to give someone something to show how much they are respected, for example an honour, a title, or a gift – a very formal use:
He was also bestowed the title of ‘Cultural Ambassador of Grenada’.
hand something out/give something out to give something to each of the people in a group:
The teacher handed out the test papers.
I’m going to give out some forms for you to fill in.
distribute to give things to a large number of people, especially in the streets:
Anti-war protesters were distributing leaflets.
share (also share something out British English) to divide something into equal parts and give a part to each person:
They shared the profits among the staff.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

present [only before noun] happening or existing now:
The present situation could get much worse.
the present century
There are no plans to build more houses here at the present time.
current [only before noun] present – used especially about something that is not expected to stay the same for long:
current trends in fashion
the current state of the UK economy
existing [only before noun] formal existing or being used now – used about things or situations that you think may be changed in the future:
The existing offices are too small.
The proposal will strengthen existing immigration laws.
contemporary [only before noun] used about the art, writing, ideas, society etc that belong to the present time:
the impact of computer-generated imagery on contemporary art and design
contemporary music in Russia
today’s/of today used about conditions and attitudes that exist now, when you are comparing them with those that existed in the past:
People struggle to keep up with the pace of life in today’s world of instant communications.
the liberal ideology of today
an ocean/sea/river current
Ocean currents carry young fish out to sea.
a tidal current (=caused by the movement of the tides)
Tidal currents make the seas around the islands very rough.
strong
On surfing beaches, strong currents are common.
fast/fast-flowing
Fast-flowing currents made the rescue job even harder.
dangerous/treacherous
Beaches usually have signs that warn of dangerous currents.
a current flows
Sea currents flow at up to 12 miles per hour around parts of the coast.
a current carries somebody/something (=makes them move along in the water)
Their boat was moving fast, carried by the current.
a current sweeps somebody/something (=carries them very powerfully, so that they cannot stop moving)
The treacherous currents have swept away three swimmers in the past year.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

present [only before noun] happening or existing now:
The present situation could get much worse.
the present century
There are no plans to build more houses here at the present time.
current [only before noun] present – used especially about something that is not expected to stay the same for long:
current trends in fashion
the current state of the UK economy
existing [only before noun] formal existing or being used now – used about things or situations that you think may be changed in the future:
The existing offices are too small.
The proposal will strengthen existing immigration laws.
contemporary [only before noun] used about the art, writing, ideas, society etc that belong to the present time:
the impact of computer-generated imagery on contemporary art and design
contemporary music in Russia
today’s/of today used about conditions and attitudes that exist now, when you are comparing them with those that existed in the past:
People struggle to keep up with the pace of life in today’s world of instant communications.
the liberal ideology of today
present a problem
These mountain roads present problems even to experienced drivers.
present difficulties
Juggling work and family responsibilities presents difficulties for women.
present a challenge
I'm enjoying my new job because it presents an interesting challenge.
present a threat
The disease presents a grave threat to the livestock industry.
present an obstacle (=cause a problem that is difficult to deal with or solve)
The lack of money presented a massive obstacle.
give to let someone have something, without expecting to be paid for it:
He was always giving me gifts.
They gave a free drink to all their customers.
donate to give money to an organization that helps people or protects something, or to give your blood or part of your body to save someone’s life:
The company donates 1 per cent of its profits to charity.
70% of people wanted to donate their organs after death.
award to officially give money or a prize to someone:
She was awarded a million dollars in damages.
Hollywood awarded him an Oscar for his performance.
leave (also bequeath /bɪˈkwiːð, bɪˈkwiːθ/ formal) to officially arrange for someone to have something that you own after your death:
He left most of his property to his wife.
lavish somebody with something/lavish something on somebody formal to give someone a lot of something, especially praise, attention, or gifts:
After his team won, the press lavished him with praise.
confer formal to give someone an honour, a university degree, or the right or power to do something:
the powers conferred on him by Parliament
the highest honor that her country could confer on her
bestow formal to give someone something to show how much they are respected, for example an honour, a title, or a gift – a very formal use:
He was also bestowed the title of ‘Cultural Ambassador of Grenada’.
give somebody a present
He gave everyone a present.
give something as a present
I was given this book as a present.
buy somebody a present (also get somebody a present informal)
I want to buy a present for Lucy but I'm not sure what she'd like.
Did you get Bill a birthday present?
get a present (=receive a present)
Children soon learn to enjoy giving presents as well as getting them.
wrap a present
She spent the afternoon wrapping Christmas presents.
open/unwrap a present
Can we open our presents now?
exchange presents (=give each other a present)
We always exchange Christmas and birthday presents.
a birthday present
Thanks for the birthday present.
a Christmas present
What would Dad like as a Christmas present?
a wedding present
His wedding present to her had been a diamond necklace.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

present
̈ɪˈpreznt
See: at present

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲