presiding

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of preside.

   The senator presiding over the chamber called for a recorded vote.

   Presiding at the ceremony took most of the bishop's afternoon.

   Note

   The -ing form does two jobs. As a participle it describes someone in the act (the senator presiding over the chamber), and as a gerund it names the activity itself (presiding at the ceremony). Preside is intransitive, so it never takes a direct object: what is presided over is introduced by a preposition, usually over or at. The verb can also describe a featured solo performer, a use that the courtroom adjective does not carry.

2. 2
   adjective

   Holding the authority to lead and direct a meeting, court, or official body.

   The presiding judge overruled the objection without hesitation.

   Each session has a presiding officer who settles procedural questions.

   Note

   A courtroom word that names a role rather than a degree. A judge is either presiding or not, so the adjective takes no more or most. It belongs before the noun in fixed titles such as presiding judge and presiding officer. When the role follows the person, English usually uses the verb instead: the judge presiding over the trial.

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