as in officeholder
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as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incumbent
Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 June 2026
One San Diego County congressional race featuring a San Diego City Council incumbent is key to that push.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026
Republican voters have spoken in Texas— the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton decisively beat incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the GOP primary runoff for Senate.
—Forbestv, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Noun
His presence on the ballot has triggered allegations from the incumbent that the move is politically motivated and intended to confuse voters.
—Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 June 2026
One San Diego County congressional race featuring a San Diego City Council incumbent is key to that push.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2026
Adjective
The rules allow incumbent commissioners or the city mayor to attend those events but not anyone else who is a candidate — a category that would cover challengers who might be running against the incumbents who passed the policy.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 29 May 2026
Republican voters have spoken in Texas— the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton decisively beat incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the GOP primary runoff for Senate.
—Forbestv, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incumbent
Noun
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Two other Republican statewide officeholders — Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and Secretary of State Scott Schwab — are also competing for the nomination.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
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Schools superintendent This officeholder oversees the California Department of Education, which guides local school districts and also provides partial oversight.—
Times staff,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Attendance to the march wasn’t compulsory for Kings players.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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The storefront was small but required grueling work, often keeping him away from his wife, Lynda, and their four children.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
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From Visibility To Observability The required shift is from visibility to observability.—
John Pritchard,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Goldman later cited a Manhattan federal district judge's late May ruling preventing ICE from arresting people attending immigration court during routine, mandatory check-ins.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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Heading into OTAs and mandatory minicamp later this month, here are five position battles to keep an eye on and see how the coaching staff divvies up snap count.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Last spring, the mayor vetoed the budget adopted by the council, and an override ended up being necessary.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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The cosmonauts are effectively the human equivalent of first dog Laika, sacrificing themselves — if necessary — for the good of the wider populous.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incumbent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incumbent. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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