From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_739_zpresentpres‧ent1 /ˈprezənt/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective 1 place [not before noun] in a particular place OPP absentpresent at/in Foreign observers were present at the elections. the gases present in the Earth’s atmosphere2 memory [not before noun] to be felt strongly or remembered for a long timepresent in The memory of her brother’s death is still present in her mind.3 time [only before noun]NOW happening or existing now the present situation of the millions of people who are suffering poverty and disease At the present time we have no explanation for this.4 → the present day5 → all present and correct6 → present company excepted → presentlyTHESAURUSpresent [only before noun] happening or existing nowThe present situation could get much worse.the present centuryThere are no plans to build more houses here at the present time.current [only before noun] present – used especially about something that is not expected to stay the same for longcurrent trends in fashionthe current state of the UK economyexisting [only before noun] formal existing or being used now – used about things or situations that you think may be changed in the futureThe existing offices are too small.The proposal will strengthen existing immigration laws.contemporary [only before noun] used about the art, writing, ideas, society etc that belong to the present timethe impact of computer-generated imagery on contemporary art and design contemporary music in Russiatoday’s/of today used about conditions and attitudes that exist now, when you are comparing them with those that existed in the pastPeople struggle to keep up with the pace of life in today’s world of instant communications.the liberal ideology of today 
GIVE[countable] something you give someone on a special occasion or to thank them for something SYN gift I’m looking for a present for Mark.2 → the present3 → at present4 → for the presentCOLLOCATIONSverbsgive somebody a presentHe gave everyone a present.give something as a presentI was given this book as a present.buy somebody a present (also get somebody a present informal)I want to buy a present for Lucy but I’m not sure what she’d like.Did you get Bill a birthday present?get a present (=receive a present)Children soon learn to enjoy giving presents as well as getting them.wrap a presentShe spent the afternoon wrapping Christmas presents.open/unwrap a presentCan we open our presents now?exchange presents (=give each other a present)We always exchange Christmas and birthday presents.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + presenta birthday presentThanks for the birthday present.a Christmas presentWhat would Dad like as a Christmas present?a wedding presentHis wedding present to her had been a diamond necklace.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘unpack a present’. Say open a present.
Examples from the Corpus
present• Copies were given to all the members present.• Thankfully my brothers were not present.• In the present economic climate, investors should be cautious.• The present federal minimum wage is $ 4. 25 an hour.• Arnaud lived in Los Angeles before moving to his present home in New York.• Traces of the chemical are present in drinking water.• These are air-borne and are also present in some foods, most notably in eggs.• The woodwind can only be used for doubling notes which are already present in the brass.• A feeling of sadness was present in the room.• The new library will be double the size of the present one.• He warned that the present situation could get much worse.present at/in• It prefers ideas to be presented in a more complex, multi-dimensional manner.• Modifications Of Wings - Although wings are usually present in adult insects many species are apterous.• Nevertheless, Kamlet-Taft solvent parameters are present in Appendix 4.• The elimination sequence is presented in Fig. 6.4.• They are presented in Table 3.• Even, in some cases, those who are not present at the game.• Similar ultrastructural features were present in the ileum and colon, with the most noticeable abnormalities present in the muscularis propria.• One idea in the wind is that Mr Gorbachev should be present at the mid-July meeting of the G7 in London.At the present time• Marshall the ex-musician. At the present time he told Farrel, he wasn't doing anything.• Filtration At the present time there is considerable concern about concentrations of nitrogen compounds in water containing goldfish. presentpre‧sent2 /prɪˈzent/ ●●● S2 W2 verb 1 give [transitive]GIVE to give something to someone, for example at a formal or official occasionpresent somebody with something He was presented with a bottle of champagne. She was presented with an award.present something to somebody/something The computer centre presented a cheque for £500 to cancer research.► see thesaurus at give2 cause something to happen [transitive]CAUSE to cause something to happen or existpresent somebody with something I knew I had presented her with an impossible task.present a problem/difficulty Large classes present great problems to many teachers.3 → present yourself4 description [transitive]SHOW/LET somebody SEE something to show or describe someone or something The artist was determined to present an accurate picture. We’ll present the information using a chart.present somebody as something Shakespeare presents the hero as a noble man doomed to make mistakes.present yourself as something The government presents itself as being sensitive to environmental issues.5 speech [transitive]TALK/MAKE A SPEECH to give a speech in which you offer an idea, plan etc to be considered or accepted Our manager is due to present the report at the end of the month.present something to somebody On January 3 the company will present its plans to the bank.6 document/ticket [transitive]SEE to show something such as an official document or ticket to someone in an official position You must present your passport to the customs officer. 7 theatre/cinema [transitive]PERFORM to give a performance in a theatre, cinema etc, or broadcast a programme on television or radio Edinburgh Theatre Company presents ‘The Wind in the Willows’.8 television/radio [transitive] British EnglishAMTPRESENT/INTRODUCE A SHOW if you present a television or radio programme, you introduce its different parts SYN host American English Thursday’s ‘The Late Show’ was presented by Cynthia Rose.9 appearance [transitive] to give something or someone a particular appearance or style The restaurant likes to present food with style.10 → something presents itself11 formally introduce somebodyINTRODUCE [transitive] to formally introduce someone to another person, especially to someone of a very high rank I was presented to the Queen in 1964.12 → present your apologies/compliments etc13 illness [intransitive, transitive] medical to show an illness by having a particular symptom (=sign of an illness) The doctor asked whether any of the children had been presenting any unusual symptoms. Three of the five patients presented with fever and severe headaches.14 → present armsCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: to cause something to happen or existnounspresent a problemThese mountain roads present problems even to experienced drivers.present difficultiesJuggling work and family responsibilities presents difficulties for women.present a challengeI'm enjoying my new job because it presents an interesting challenge.present a threatThe disease presents a grave threat to the livestock industry.present an obstacle (=cause a problem that is difficult to deal with or solve)The lack of money presented a massive obstacle. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
present• A little girl presented a basket of flowers to the President's wife.• This presents a different level of quality of service and perhaps even a loss of functionality.• But the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria has presented a new need for such vaccines, particularly for tuberculosis.• The Roxy is presenting a production of "Waiting for Godot" this weekend.• Theories or weak associations are sometimes presented as scientific certainties.• He was lucky enough to get a job presenting "Blue Peter."• The trophy will be presented by last year's winner, Brett Butler.• Smiley presents "Changing Rooms, " the popular home decorating programme.• Lawyers said the prosecution was allowed to present evidence, but that there was no mention of any defence evidence.• Ms Rogers will present her ideas to the Board at next week's meeting.• The picture of conservation presented here is somewhat oversimplified.• Arguello presented his passport to the border guards.• All of the following data is presented in metric tons.• The Golden Globe Awards will be presented January 18.• The National Theatre is presenting "King Lear' later this month.• May I present my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Benning?• There might be creatures in the universe to whom a thousand-year voyage would present nothing worse than slight boredom...• This evening PBS presents the first part of a six-part historical drama about the Civil War.• Who's going to present the prizes this year?• The researchers will present their findings at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society.• Restaurants take care to present their food with style.• It is useful to present these in tabular form simply adding on an extra column each year.• All passports must be presented to the immigration officer.• Last night Phil Donahue was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award, by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.• We have been presented with a number of plans and will give careful consideration to all of them.• Please present your boarding card at the gate.• We shall give you reasonable time to prepare and present your proposals.presented ... award• Martin Scott, managing director Central Region, presented the awards.• I presented 29 awards and was able to announce that a further 500 companies are committed to meeting this standard.• Then the association presented its annual awards for distinction in art history, art, and criticism.• The keynote address was given by Sir Desmond Lorimer, who also presented the awards to the winners.present a problem/difficulty• Constructing a highway in this area would present enormous difficulties.• How such racist pornographic material escaped the rye of black activists presents a problem.• The heat-of-passion defense could present problems for Lyle.• The banking system and mail service can present problems for newcomers.• This can present problems for teachers.• Live television programmes present special problems for the broadcaster.• This may precede the skin lesions by one to two weeks and present a problem in diagnosis at that stage.• But what is routine in phonological analysis often presents problems in syntactic analysis.• Britain's relationship with other members of the European Union presents Blair with problems, just as it did for the Tories.• These two factors together mean that the fundamentals of the metric system present difficulties to them.• The roots of tall standing trees can often present problems when the trees are growing on an embankment.present yourself as something• Nature had to present itself as a difficulty to be overcome.• He presented himself as a liar, a cheat.• Rhetorically, he still presents himself as a supporter of bipartisanship.• Even the author appears undecided as to whether to present herself as blockbusting siren or scrubbed worthy.• Following mainstream psychology's prescriptions, it presents itself as committed to good methodology.• Nor did he have to present himself as piteous in order to feed his everlasting hunger for sympathy.• Most recent Prime Ministers have usually presented themselves as representing a collective Cabinet viewpoint.present something to somebody• The report will be presented to the district board this week.presentpres‧ent3 /ˈprezənt/ ●●● S2 W3 noun 1 GIVE[countable] something you give someone on a special occasion or to thank them for something SYN gift I’m looking for a present for Mark.2 → the present3 → at present4 → for the presentCOLLOCATIONSverbsgive somebody a presentHe gave everyone a present.give something as a presentI was given this book as a present.buy somebody a present (also get somebody a present informal)I want to buy a present for Lucy but I’m not sure what she’d like.Did you get Bill a birthday present?get a present (=receive a present)Children soon learn to enjoy giving presents as well as getting them.wrap a presentShe spent the afternoon wrapping Christmas presents.open/unwrap a presentCan we open our presents now?exchange presents (=give each other a present)We always exchange Christmas and birthday presents.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + presenta birthday presentThanks for the birthday present.a Christmas presentWhat would Dad like as a Christmas present?a wedding presentHis wedding present to her had been a diamond necklace.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘unpack a present’. Say open a present.Examples from the Corpus
present• Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer received the award at a star-studded presentation in London last night.• I've bought you all a present!• He followed this up by giving everyone a present.• "What's this?" "It's a present for Valerie - she needs cheering up."• The knife was a present from his father.• The watch was a present from my mother.• How many birthday presents did you get?• When Jim arrived home from work, Della told Jim what she had done to buy his Christmas present.• We can't afford to spend much on Christmas presents this year.• He got a lot of expensive presents for his 21st birthday.• After the presents are opened, long-term planners are disoriented and must find new work.• For the present we must return to the adjudicative context within which natural justice and fairness operate.• How they lead us on: we for whom the present is everything, yet never enough!From Longman Business Dictionarypresentpre‧sent /prɪˈzent/ verb [transitive]1to make a speech introducing an idea, plan etc to be considereda lack of evidence presented by prosecutorspresent something to somebodyThe company has until July to restructure its debt and present an operating plan to its creditors.2to produce a document, such as a ticket or pass, for an official to checkWhen a shopper presents a supermarket ID card, the purchases can be linked to his or her name and address.present something to somebodyTo receive care, every patient will need to present a health insurance card to the hospital or doctor.3if something presents an opportunity, advantage, problem etc, it creates itWith interest rates slightly above 8%, the securities present an attractive alternative to stocks.Microsoft’s Windows presents the most formidable technical challenge ever to the Macintosh.→ See Verb tableOrigin present1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin praesens, present participle of praeesse “to be before” present2 (1200-1300) Old French presenter, from Latin praesentare, from praesens; → PRESENT1 present3 1. (1200-1300) Old French presenter; → PRESENT22. (1200-1300) → PRESENT1 