presence

American  

[prez-uhns] / ˈprɛz əns /

noun

1. the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.

   Antonyms:

   absence

2. attendance or company.

   Your presence is requested.

3. immediate vicinity; proximity.

   in the presence of witnesses.

   Synonyms:

   neighborhood

4. the military or economic power of a country as reflected abroad by the stationing of its troops, sale of its goods, etc..

   the American military presence in Europe;

   the Japanese presence in the U.S. consumer market.

5. Chiefly British. the immediate personal vicinity of a great personage giving audience or reception.

   summoned to her presence.

6. the ability to project a sense of ease, poise, or self-assurance, especially the quality or manner of a person's bearing before an audience.

   The speaker had a good deal of stage presence.

   Synonyms:

   mien, carriage

7. personal appearance or bearing, especially of a dignified or imposing kind.

   a man of fine presence.

8. a person, especially of noteworthy appearance or compelling personality.

   He is a real presence, even at a private party.

9. a divine or supernatural spirit felt to be present.

   He felt a presence with him in the room.

10. British Obsolete. presence chamber.

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presence British  

/ ˈprɛzəns /

noun

1. the state or fact of being present

2. the immediate proximity of a person or thing

3. personal appearance or bearing, esp of a dignified nature

4. an imposing or dignified personality

5. an invisible spirit felt to be nearby

6. electronics a recording control that boosts mid-range frequencies

7. (of a recording) a quality that gives the impression that the listener is in the presence of the original source of the sound

8. obsolete assembly or company

9. obsolete short for presence chamber

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Other Word Forms

• nonpresence noun

Etymology

Origin of presence

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin praesentia; see present ¹, -ence

Explanation

Presence is the state of being somewhere. When you get an invitation that reads "Your presence is requested,” you are being asked to show up. Your style of being there — your demeanor or bearing — is also your presence. Usually, presence is a physical thing. Since the 1600s, the word has also meant something otherwordly, a spiritual or divine presence. If you suddenly feel a weird presence in the room, perhaps it's a ghost . . . or just the cat. Use the phrase "presence of mind" to indicate when someone is quick-witted or just paying attention. While your job washing skyscraper windows doesn't require a lot of brain work, it's a good idea to keep your presence of mind while working.

Example Sentences

Microsoft’s latest spending plan builds on an A$5 billion investment from October 2023, which the company used to grow its Australian data center presence to 29 sites across three Azure cloud regions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Mobileye is also angling for a presence in India, the world’s third-biggest car market, where it sees “significant potential for growth” for advanced driving software.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

He said the UK had the opportunity to be the world's foremost productive user of AI in the world, on top of now significant presence of companies such as Deepmind, Anthropic and OpenAI in Britain.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Foreman was a distinctly charismatic frontman, pairing the flamboyant stage presence of his beloved ‘60s and ‘70s R&B acts with the live-wire tension of punk.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Fortunately, my classmates didn’t seem to be bothered by my presence.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

• behavior
• personality