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

Coca-Cola is getting ready to review its North American media business after incumbent Publicis Groupe took on PepsiCo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Now, Kushner is volunteering to unseat the Republican incumbent, who has been in office since 1997.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

"It's incumbent on them not to inappropriately disclose information and to only access material for policing purposes."

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Despite DJ Uiagalelei outperforming Trey Lance in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Rams, the incumbent was named QB2 once again, as the Chargers announced their initial 53-man roster Sunday evening.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

It was also incumbent upon them to attend to his personal wants.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Earlier this year, fears that AI coding tools would make Salesforce and other corporate-software incumbents obsolete drove steep stock declines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

For software’s incumbents, the biggest challenge ahead may be new software-as-a-service companies that are built from the ground up with AI in mind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

At first glance, Markey’s win would seem to break a recent streak of older incumbents falling to more youthful candidates.

From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026

The takeaway for telecom investors: SpaceX’s threat to broadband and wireless incumbents “could remain an overhang on the sector for years rather than quarters,” Bernstein analysts said in a research note.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 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