preside over

phrasal verb

presided over; presiding over; presides over

1

: to be in charge of something (such as a meeting or organization)

The vice president presided over the meeting.

The Chief Justice presides over the Supreme Court.

He has presided over the company for 15 years.

2

: to be in charge of a country, company, etc., during (a particular time or activity)

She presided over a period of relative peace and prosperity.

Examples of preside over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Capitoline Wolf, a bronze sculpture depicting the legend of the founding of Rome, presides over town from its perch in front of City Hall. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026

On crime, Adams did preside over a steep reduction that puts us now near the lowest level of homicides in the city’s history. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2026

The president then presided over the auction of a painting of Jesus Christ's face by artist Vanessa Horabuena. —Antonio Fins, USA Today, 1 Jan. 2026

William Bagley, a veteran California legislator who moved to Washington in 1975 to preside over the chaotic first years of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as its founding chairman, died on June 9 at 96. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for preside over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover