presently
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presently
in a little while, soon, shortly: The supervisor will be back presently.
Not to be confused with:
currently – at the present time: She is currently working on her thesis.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
pres·ent·ly
(prĕz′ənt-lē)adv.
1. In a short time; soon: She will arrive presently.
2. Usage Problem At this time or period; now: He is presently staying with us.
3. Archaic At once; immediately.
Usage Note: The original use of presently to mean "at the present time, currently" goes back to the late 1300s. This usage seems to have disappeared from the written record in the 1600s, but it probably survived in speech, as it is widely found nowadays in both speech and writing. Perhaps because this sense was not treated in dictionaries until relatively recently, some language critics have argued that this usage is an error and that presently should only be used in the sense of "in a short time, soon," as in the shopkeeper's I will be with you presently. In four surveys from 1965 to 1999, only 47-50 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the "currently" usage in sentences like She is presently the secretary of state. By 2011, 63 percent found this sentence acceptable. So, although many still adhere to this guideline, resistance appears to be waning.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
presently
(ˈprɛzəntlɪ)Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pres•ent•ly
(ˈprɛz ənt li)adv.
1. in a little while; soon.
2. at the present time; now.
3. Archaic. immediately.
[1350–1400]
syn: See immediately.
usage: The meaning “now” of presently dates back to the 15th century; it is currently in standard use in all varieties of speech and writing. The sense “soon” arose gradually during the 16th century. Strangely, it is the older sense “now” that usage guides sometimes object to. The two senses are rarely if ever confused. presently meaning “now” is most often used with the present tense (The professor is presently on sabbatical leave) and presently meaning “soon” often with the future tense (The supervisor will be back presently).
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
See also related terms for moment.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
presently
1. used to mean 'soon'
If something will happen presently, it will happen quite soon.
He will be here presently.
I shall have more to say presently.
If you are talking about the past, you use presently to say that something happened quite soon after something else.
Presently all was quiet again.
He was shown to a small office. Presently, a young woman in a white coat came in.
Both these uses of presently are slightly old-fashioned.
2. used to mean 'now'
Some people use presently after be to mean 'now'.
...the oil and gas rigs that are presently in operation.
She is presently developing a number of projects.
This use of presently is fairly new in British English, and some speakers find it unacceptable. Instead of 'presently', you can say at present.
He is at present serving a life sentence.
The comet is at present between the constellations of Pegasus and Delphinius.
You can put at present at the beginning or end of a clause. You cannot do this with 'presently' when it means 'now'.
At present there is a world energy shortage.
We're short of staff at present.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adv. | 1. |  presently - in the near future; "the doctor will soon be here"; "the book will appear shortly"; "she will arrive presently"; "we should have news before long" |
| 2. | presently - at this time or period; now; "he is presently our ambassador to the United Nations"; "currently they live in Connecticut" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
presently
adverb
1. at present, currently, now, today, these days, nowadays, at the present time, in this day and age, at the minute (Brit. informal) The island is presently uninhabited.
2. soon, shortly, directly, before long, momentarily (U.S. & Canad.), in a moment, in a minute, pretty soon (informal), anon (archaic), by and by, in a short while, in a jiffy (informal), erelong (archaic or poetic) Just take it easy and you'll feel better presently.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
حالا، قَريباًحَالِيّاًفي الوَقت الحاضِر
nyníbrzy
for tideni øjeblikketsnart
pian
sada
eins og stendurrétt strax
やがて
곧
aldramomenteel
čoskoro
zdaj
omedelbart
ขณะนี้
ngay đây
presently
[ˈprezntlɪ] ADVCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
presently
[ˈprɛzəntli] advCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
presently
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
present1
(ˈpreznt) adjective1. being here, or at the place, occasion etc mentioned. My father was present on that occasion; Who else was present at the wedding?; Now that the whole class is present, we can begin the lesson.
2. existing now. the present moment; the present prime minister.
3. (of the tense of a verb) indicating action now. In the sentence `She wants a chocolate', the verb is in the present tense.
ˈpresently adverb1. soon. He will be here presently.
2. (especially American) at the present time. The manager is presently on holiday.
the present the time now. Forget the past – think more of the present and the future!
at present at the present time. He's away from home at present.
for the present as far as the present time is concerned. You've done enough work for the present.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
presently
→ حَالِيّاً nyní for tiden bald προς το παρόν en este momento pian actuellement sada attualmente やがて 곧 momenteel for øyeblikket obecnie presentemente в настоящий момент omedelbart ขณะนี้ şu anda ngay đây 目前Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009