English Reference

Word

presidency

Phoneticspres·i·den·cy

US/ˈpɹɛzədənsi/

UK/pɹˈɛzɪdənsi/

Definitions

01the office or role

B2

n. the position or job of being a president.

n. the office or official position of a president.

“She has wanted to reach the presidency since she first entered politics.”

“The candidate argued that the presidency requires a unique combination of diplomatic tact and executive decisiveness.”

02term of office

B2

n. the period of time during which someone is president.

n. the duration or tenure of a president's term in office.

“The country saw many economic changes during his presidency.”

“Historians often evaluate a presidency based on the long-term legislative impact rather than immediate popularity polls.”

03the administration

C1

n. the group of people and offices that work for a president.

n. the executive branch or administrative body under the direct control of a president.

“The presidency announced a new plan to help small businesses.”

“The presidency issued a formal statement clarifying that the new environmental regulations would take effect immediately.”

Academic

04historical province

C2

n. one of the three main areas of India when it was ruled by Britain.

n. an administrative division or province in British India, such as the Bengal Presidency.

“He served as an official in the Bombay Presidency during the nineteenth century.”

“The administrative structure of the Madras Presidency differed significantly from the governance models used in the northern territories.”

British English · Archaic

Real-World Examples

“Trump endorsed the right-wing de la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer-turned-politician, during his run for the presidency that culminated in a close victory over leftist Ivan Cepeda in June.”
Al Jazeera · 15 Aug 2026
“With only 107 days to run her campaign, she lost the electoral college and the popular vote to Donald Trump to hand him a second presidency.”
The Guardian · 15 Aug 2026
“The result will not predict who wins the presidency, but it could offer an early indication of whether President Bola Tinubu’s political influence in the southwest still translates into votes.”
Al Jazeera · 14 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Medieval Latin praesidentia. By surface analysis, president + -cy.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Common
Updated

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