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
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 2026
Ratings for Bad Bunny's halftime show have not yet been revealed, but the YouTube upload presently boasts more than 55 million views.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
Netflix’s deal for WB is presently under regulatory review here and abroad.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
There’s an argument that with lower grossing movies like Send Help and Iron Lung presently on tracking, most forecasts are inflated.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for presently
Cite this Entry
“Presently.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presently. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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presently
adverb
