incumbent

American  

[in-kuhm-buhnt] / ɪnˈkʌm bənt /

adjective

1. holding an indicated position, role, office, etc., currently.

   the incumbent officers of the club.

2. obligatory (often followed by on orupon ).

   a duty incumbent upon me.

3. Archaic. resting, lying, leaning, or pressing on something.

   incumbent upon the cool grass.

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noun

1. the holder of an office.

   The incumbent was challenged by a fusion candidate.

2. British. a person who holds an ecclesiastical benefice.

incumbent British  

/ ɪnˈkʌmbənt /

adjective

1. formal morally binding or necessary; obligatory

   it is incumbent on me to attend

2. resting or lying (on)

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noun

1. a person who holds an office, esp a clergyman holding a benefice

incumbent Cultural  

1. One who holds a public office. By virtue of their experience in office, their exposure to the public, and their ability to raise campaign funds, incumbents usually have a significant advantage over opponents if they choose to run for reelection.

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Other Word Forms

• anti-incumbent adjective
• incumbently adverb
• nonincumbent noun

Etymology

Origin of incumbent

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), from Latin incumbent-, stem of incumbēns “lying upon,” present participle of incumbere “to lie or lean upon,” equivalent to in- in- ² + -cumbere (variant combining form of cubāre “to lie down”; cubicle )

Example Sentences

Microsoft maintains an incumbent advantage in the application layer of the AI stack, but the monetization will take longer to materialize, Zelnick added.

From MarketWatch

That timeline would be well within the historical norm for announcing a new chair to replace an incumbent.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The reason this announcement is so significant is that Amazon has yet to displace incumbents in the grocery category, at least for perishables,” he wrote.

From MarketWatch

Ultimately, Jaluria said, AI could damage “fat, lazy incumbents” while helping others that are innovative and can use AI to improve their products.

From The Wall Street Journal

These companies are gaining market share from incumbent providers and would get a boost from regulatory shifts.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• occupant