existing

[ ig-zis-ting ]

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.

Other Words From

• non·ex·ist·ing adjective
• un·ex·ist·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of existing¹

exist ( def ) + -ing ²( def )

Example Sentences

Tuition fees in England will rise for current and existing students by £285 to £9,535 a year for those on full-time degrees, in autumn 2025.

From BBC

The planning department said it didn’t have an estimate of how many apartments might be knocked down because of its proposals, but said the added tenant protections would add costs for developers and limit the number of existing rentals demolished.

From Los Angeles Times

Because the city is proposing to allow developers to build more where existing apartments are, but also imposing additional costs through new tenant protections and replacement requirements, the planning department said it’s unclear whether more rent-controlled units would be demolished in the future than are today.

From Los Angeles Times

It would make less financial sense for developers to replace existing rent-stabilized housing, and some builders would instead choose to build in single-family areas where they’d demolish houses an occupant has chosen to sell.

From Los Angeles Times

She pointed out that the existing infrastructure at the Hyperion plant has a history of failures and sewage spills.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• actual
• current
• extant