presently
adverb
Usage of Presently
Both senses 1b and 2 are flourishing in current English, but many commentators have objected to sense 2. Since this sense has been in continuous use since the 15th century, it is not clear why it is objectionable. Perhaps a note in the Oxford English Dictionary (1909) that the sense has been obsolete since the 17th century in literary English is to blame, but the note goes on to observe that the sense is in regular use in most English dialects. The last citation in that dictionary is from a 1901 Leeds newspaper, written in Standard English. Sense 2 is most common in contexts relating to business and politics.
William Safire
Examples of presently in a Sentence
John Tamny, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Khalil presently awaits further legal proceedings — and the birth of his child — from an ICE detention center a thousand miles from his home in New York.
—Adam Jaffe, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
The Indian space agency, ISRO, presently has two operational launch pads at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2025
Police are presently investigating damage from gunshots at a Tesla center in the Portland metro area.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presently
Cite this Entry
“Presently.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presently. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
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presently
adverb
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