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

incumbents plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonincumbent
  noun
• anti-incumbent
  adjective
• incumbently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incumbents
  plural

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”; see cubicle)

Explanation

An incumbent is an official who holds an office. If you want to run for congress, you're going to have to beat the incumbent. Incumbent comes from the Latin word incumbens, which means "lying in" or "leaning on," but came to mean "holding a position." It was first used in English for someone holding a church office, and then someone holding any office. You'll most likely hear it today for political officials. In a race for mayor, the incumbent mayor faces a challenger. Incumbent also means "required by obligation." It is incumbent upon you to do the dishes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incumbent incumbents

Lula's convictions were annulled by the Supreme Court in 2021 and in presidential elections the following year he narrowly beat far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, winning 50.9% of the vote.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Zelensky did not say who would replace incumbent Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko or elaborate on the reasons for the changes.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

When Daniel J. Sullivan launched his campaign in May, he did so as plain old “Dan Sullivan,” with a website closely resembling that of the incumbent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

The Korean, Vietnam and Iraq wars were consequential enough to contribute to the defeat of incumbent parties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“I thank you, ladies. And now, I am afraid that it is incumbent upon us to ask you to recommend to us a fine hotel in the neighborhood.”

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

It also has a regulatory side that can wall off competition, brick by brick, protecting incumbents from challengers who lack a compliance department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The analysis looks at candidates who have not held federal office before, meaning incumbents were excluded.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

"Denying American startups access to models available abroad would stifle competition, entrench incumbents, and function as a tax on intelligence," the letter from the Little Tech Association said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The cleaner trade is in incumbents that can ride the robotics build-out without needing the humanoid future to arrive on schedule.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

When Faye came down from Sacramento and opened her house there was a flurry of animosity from the two incumbents.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• occupant