existing

American  

[ig-zis-ting] / ɪgˈzɪs tɪŋ /

adjective

1. already or previously in place, before being replaced, altered, or added to.

   Fundraising costs money, and recruiting new donors is more expensive than asking existing supporters to give a little more.

2. having actual being or life.

   The great ornithologist Alexander Wetmore, who died in 1978, allegedly declared that all existing species of birds had already been discovered.

3. occurring in a specified place or under specified conditions.

   Members of committees dealing with the behavior of intelligence services met to discuss the existing challenges and exchange best practices.

4. achieving only the basic needs of existence, as food and shelter.

   Forrest Bess was a marginally existing bait fisherman and artist who lived in a ramshackle cabin on the Gulf of Mexico.

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Other Word Forms

• nonexisting adjective
• unexisting adjective

Etymology

Origin of existing

exist ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The analysis also suggests spending money on new medicines proved half as cost effective as improving existing services.

From The Wall Street Journal

While buying stakes from existing startup investors seeking liquidity is well established in the U.S.,

From The Wall Street Journal

Noelle Martin, an activist focused on image-based online abuse and deepfakes, feared the Australian ban would do little to help, given the country's history on enforcement of existing laws.

From Barron's

And it means that every existing banknote matters more than ever - no matter how tattered.

From BBC

He claimed to write plays as much to discover what he really thought as to explore his existing ideas.

From BBC

Related Words

• actual
• current
• extant