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being, existing, or occurring at this time or now; current : increasing respect for the present ruler of the small country.

at this time; at hand; immediate : articles for present use.

Grammar . designating a verb tense, construction, or form used to refer to an action or state occurring at the time of speaking or writing: knows is a present form in He knows that.

being with one or others or in the specified or understood place: to be present at the wedding.

being here: Is everyone present?

existing or occurring in a place, thing, combination, or the like: Carbon is present in many minerals.

being actually here or under consideration: the present document; the present topic.

being in the mind; recollected : The memories were still present to her mind.

focused on or involved in what one is doing at a particular moment; attentive : When you’re talking to someone, be present instead of thinking about something else.

Obsolete . mentally alert and calm, especially in emergencies.

Obsolete . immediate or instant: present payment.

the present time: She has one foot in the present and one foot in the future.

Grammar . present tense .

presents, Law . the present writings, or this document, used in a deed of conveyance, a lease, etc., to denote the document itself: Know all men by these presents that . . . .

Obsolete . the matter in hand.

Idioms about present

at present , at the present time or moment; now : There are no job openings here at present.

for the present , for now; temporarily : For the present, we must be content with matters as they stand.

Origin of present

Other words for present, opposites for present, other words from present.

  • pres·ent·ness, noun

Words Nearby present

  • presence chamber
  • presence of mind
  • presenile dementia
  • presenility
  • presentable
  • present arms
  • presentation
  • presentational
  • presentationalism

Other definitions for present (2 of 2)

to furnish or endow with a gift or the like, especially by formal act: to present someone with a gold watch.

to bring, offer, or give, often in a formal or ceremonious way: You'll have to present your passport at the airport.

afford or furnish (an opportunity, possibility, etc.).

to hand over or submit, as a bill or a check, for payment: The waiter presented our bill for lunch.

to introduce (a person) to another, especially in a formal manner: Mrs. Smith, may I present Mr. Jones?

to bring before or introduce to the public: to present a new play.

to come to show (oneself) before a person, at a place, etc.

to show or exhibit: This theater will present films on a larger screen.

to bring forth or render for or before another or others; offer for consideration: to present an alternative plan.

to set forth in words; frame or articulate: to present arguments.

to represent, impersonate, or act, as on the stage.

to direct, point, or turn (something) to something or someone: He presented his back to the audience.

to level or aim (a weapon, especially a firearm).

to bring against, as a formal charge against a person.

to bring formally to the notice of the proper authority, as an offense.

British Ecclesiastical . to offer or recommend (a member of the clergy) to the bishop to be granted a benefice.

Medicine/Medical .

(of a fetus) to be visible at the cervix during labor: In a normal delivery, the baby’s head presents first.

(of a medical condition) to be evident from the presence of certain symptoms: Depression often presents with disturbed sleep or appetite.

(of a patient) to have a certain symptom or medical condition, especially as reported during a medical examination: A 22-year-old man presents with shortness of breath.

a thing presented as a gift; gift : Christmas presents.

synonym study For present

  • self-pre·sent·ed, adjective
  • un·pre·sent·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use present in a sentence

We’re pleased to be present in so many relationships this year, even more so than before.

Republicans, by many accounts, aren’t even considering the arguments being presented in the trial.

We should request that staff conduct a feasibility study and to present the results of that study to this committee by the end of the year.

In five years of Insights puzzles, we’ve tried to present questions that lived up to the column’s name.

He was a tough guy, but also admired and respected by his players and most in the media, present company included.

In his view, a writer has only one duty: to be present in his books.

Angelina Jolie was able to seemingly glide into the Vatican on Thursday to present her new film ‘Unbroken.’

Disordered eating is also linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety, both in the present and in the future.

In the middle of all of that past suffering and present -day conflict, this Cosby bomb was dropped.

The account goes some way in showing just how present the Quds and other forces are in Iraq at this point in time.

But Mrs. Dodd, the present vicar's wife, retained the precious prerogative of choosing the book to be read at the monthly Dorcas.

The Rev. Alonzo Barnard, seventy-one years of age, accompanied by his daughter, was present .

Several pioneers familiar with the facts of the tragedy at the time of its occurrence were also present .

Bacteria, when present in great numbers, give a uniform cloud which cannot be removed by ordinary filtration.

At present , Louis was too self-absorbed by the struggles within him, to look deep into what was passing around him.

British Dictionary definitions for present (1 of 2)

/ ( ˈprɛz ə nt ) /

(prenominal) in existence at the moment in time at which an utterance is spoken or written

(postpositive) being in a specified place, thing, etc : the murderer is present in this room

(prenominal) now in consideration or under discussion : the present topic ; the present author

grammar denoting a tense of verbs used when the action or event described is occurring at the time of utterance or when the speaker does not wish to make any explicit temporal reference

archaic readily available; instant : present help is at hand

archaic mentally alert; attentive

the present the time being; now

the present tense

a verb in this tense

at present at the moment; now

for the present for the time being; temporarily

  • See also presents

British Dictionary definitions for present (2 of 2)

to introduce (a person) to another, esp to someone of higher rank

to introduce to the public : to present a play

to introduce and compere (a radio or television show)

to show; exhibit : he presented a brave face to the world

to put forward; submit : she presented a proposal for a new book

to bring or suggest to the mind : to present a problem

to give or award : to present a prize

to endow with or as if with a gift or award : to present a university with a foundation scholarship

to offer formally : to present one's compliments

to offer or hand over for action or settlement : to present a bill

to represent or depict in a particular manner : the actor presented Hamlet as a very young man

to salute someone with (one's weapon) (usually in the phrase present arms )

to aim or point (a weapon)

to nominate (a clergyman) to a bishop for institution to a benefice in his diocese

to lay (a charge, etc) before a court, magistrate, etc, for consideration or trial

to bring a formal charge or accusation against (a person); indict

mainly US (of a grand jury) to take notice of (an offence) from personal knowledge or observation, before any bill of indictment has been drawn up

(intr) med to seek treatment for a particular symptom or problem : she presented with postnatal depression

(intr) informal to produce a favourable, etc impression : she presents well in public ; he presents as harmless but has poisoned his family

present oneself to appear, esp at a specific time and place

anything that is presented; a gift

make someone a present of something to give someone something : I'll make you a present of a new car

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with present

see all present and accounted for; at present; for the moment (present); no time like the present.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Synonyms of present

  • as in to offer
  • as in to introduce
  • as in to donate
  • as in current
  • as in attending
  • as in today
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Thesaurus Definition of present

 (Entry 1 of 4)

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • come out with
  • impersonate
  • reintroduce
  • fork (over, out, or up)
  • pungle (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Thesaurus Definition of present  (Entry 2 of 4)

  • present - day
  • contemporary
  • up - to - date
  • modernistic
  • ultramodern
  • new - fashioned
  • space - age
  • supermodern
  • out - of - date
  • antediluvian
  • old - fashioned
  • noncontemporary
  • participating
  • accompanying
  • in attendance
  • nonexistent

Thesaurus Definition of present  (Entry 3 of 4)

  • here and now
  • by - and - by

Thesaurus Definition of present  (Entry 4 of 4)

  • presentation
  • contribution
  • benefaction
  • care package
  • beneficence
  • remembrance
  • benevolence
  • philanthropy
  • peace offering

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb present contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of present are afford , bestow , confer , donate , and give . While all these words mean "to convey to another as a possession," present carries a note of formality and ceremony.

In what contexts can afford take the place of present ?

The words afford and present are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver.

When might bestow be a better fit than present ?

While in some cases nearly identical to present , bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver.

When is it sensible to use confer instead of present ?

In some situations, the words confer and present are roughly equivalent. However, confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor).

Where would donate be a reasonable alternative to present ?

The synonyms donate and present are sometimes interchangeable, but donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity).

When could give be used to replace present ?

While the synonyms give and present are close in meaning, give , the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.

Phrases Containing present

Articles related to present.

light blue gift box on light blue background

We Got You This Article on 'Gift' vs....

We Got You This Article on 'Gift' vs. 'Present'

And yes, 'gift' is a verb.

Thesaurus Entries Near present

presentable

Cite this Entry

“Present.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/present. Accessed 15 Feb. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on present

Nglish: Translation of present for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of present for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about present

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Definition of present noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

  • What can I get him for a birthday present ?
  • Christmas/wedding presents
  • I want to give you a little present.
  • as a present He gave her the painting as a present.
  • present for somebody We have a present for you.
  • I still need to buy a present for my boyfriend.
  • present from somebody That dress was a present from my sister.
  • At Christmas, family and friends exchange presents.
  • Customers may return unwanted presents in exchange for vouchers.
  • It's a present to us all from Granny.
  • My nephew loves this bike so I'm going to make him a present of it.
  • Santa Claus handed out presents to the children.
  • a present for my daughter
  • anniversary
  • present for
  • present from
  • make somebody a present of something

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

  • in the present You've got to forget the past and start living in the present.
  • at present I'm sorry he's out at present (= now) .
  • to the present The book covers the period from the early 1990s to the present.
  • the present (also present tense ) [singular] ( grammar ) the form of a verb that expresses an action that is happening now or at the time of speaking Topics Language a1
  • This house is big enough for the moment, but we'll have to move if we have children.
  • This house is big enough for the present, but we'll have to move if we have children.
  • (saying) now is the best time to do something, not in the future

Other results

  • clear and present danger
  • present participles
  • all present and accounted for
  • present arms
  • present company excepted
  • for the moment/present
  • all present and correct
  • form, present, etc. a united front

Nearby words

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Definition of 'present'

Present existing or happening now.

IPA Pronunciation Guide

present being somewhere

Present gift, present verb uses, video: pronunciation of present.

Youtube video

present in American English

Present in american english 1, present in american english 2, present in british english 1, present in british english 2, examples of 'present' in a sentence present, related word partners present, trends of present.

View usage over: Since Exist Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years

Browse alphabetically present

  • presenility
  • present a case
  • present a challenge
  • present a concept
  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'P'

Related terms of present

  • present-day
  • present era
  • the present
  • View more related words

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  • English Grammar
  • Present tense

Present simple

Level: beginner

The present tense is the base form of the verb:

I work in London. 

But with the third person singular ( she / he / it ), we add an –s :

She works in London.

Present simple questions

Look at these questions:

Do you play the piano? Where do you live ? Does Jack play football? Where does he come from ? Do Rita and Angela live in Manchester? Where do they work ?

We use do and does to make questions  with the present simple. We use does for the third person singular ( she / he / it ) and do for the others.

We use do and does with question words like where , what and when :

Where do Angela and Rita live ? What does Angela do ? When does Rita usually get up ?

But questions with who often don't use do or does :

Who lives in London? Who plays football at the weekend? Who works at Liverpool City Hospital?

Here are some useful questions. Try to remember them:

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ReorderingHorizontal_MTYyNjg=

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Present simple negatives

Look at these sentences:

I like tennis but I don't like football. (don't = do not) I don't live in London now. I don't play the piano but I play the guitar. They don't work at the weekend. John doesn't live in Manchester. (doesn't = does not) Angela doesn't drive to work. She goes by bus.

We use do and does to make negatives with the present simple. We use doesn't for the third person singular ( she / he / it ) and don't for the others.

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Present simple and present time

We use the present simple to talk about:

  • something that is true in the present:
I 'm nineteen years old. I 'm a student. He lives in London.
  • something that happens regularly in the present:
I play football every weekend.
  • something that is always true:
The human body contains 206 bones. Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per second.

We often use adverbs of frequency  like sometimes , always and  never with the present simple:

I sometimes go to the cinema. She never plays football.

Here are some useful sentences. Complete them so that they are true for you and try to remember them:

Complete these sentences so that they are true for a friend and try to remember them:

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GapFillTyping_MTY2MzY=

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYyNTg=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNjE=

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTYyNjM=

GapFillTyping_MTYyNjQ=

Level: intermediate

Present simple and future time

We also use the present simple to talk about:

  • something that is fixed in the future:
The school term  starts next week. The train leaves at 19.45 this evening. We fly to Paris next week.
  • something in the future after time words like when , after and before and after if and unless :
I'll talk to John when I see him. You must finish your work before you go home. If it rains we'll get wet. He won't come unless you ask him.

ex. Present simple 8

Level: advanced

We sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when we are: 

  • telling a story:
I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me and tells me he has lost his wallet and  asks me to lend him some money. Well, he looks a bit dangerous so I 'm not sure what to do and while we are standing there  …
  • summarising a book, film or play:
Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts School. He has two close friends, Hermione and … Shakespeare's Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. One night he sees his father's ghost. The ghost tells him he has been murdered  …

Hello, Can you tell me why the present simple is used in the sentence below? I heard from David last night. He says hello.

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Hello Khangvo2812,

You can use the past simple or present simple here. The past simple means 'He said hello to you when I spoke' while the present simple can be understood as 'He says hello to you through me right now.

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Peter I don't anticipate it stopping means : Most people consider a long time : a month or more than a month and Temporary: a few days or a few weeks can I use What most people consider ?

I'm afraid I don't understand what your question is. Could you please use inverted commas (') around the language that you're asking about? I think that would help me understand.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello Peter example i study computer engineering i am studying computer engineering you have said before i use simple present if we do not except to change in the near future what does mean near future more than year i use simple present a year or less i use present continuous?

The near future is not a fixed time which we can describe in this way. It is a question of how the speaker sees the action or situation. If the speaker sees the situation as permanent or unlikely to change for what they consider a long time then the present simple will be used. If the speaker sees it as temporary then the present continuous will be used. Sometimes a temporary situation can last year if in the speaker's mind it is going to change at some point. It's not a question of how long but rather how the speaker sees things.

I can say 'I study physics' even though I know the course only lasts four years because I don't anticipate it stopping. I can say 'I'm living in London' even if I think I'll be in London for a decade because I don't see it as my home but rather a place I'm in for a certain time. It's a question of perspective and it's subjective.

In the Simple Present Tense, we often use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs to emphasize positive sentences and commands. For example, 'I do speak' and 'He does come' However, when 'do' is used as a main verb, can we also use 'do' or 'does' for emphasis in sentences like- I do do. He does do. And similarly, can we use 'do' for emphasis in commands like- Do do.

I'd like to understand if 'do' and 'does' can be used to emphasize when 'do' is functioning as a main verb, such as 'I do my homework' or 'He does the dishes.'

Is it common to use 'do' and 'does' for emphasis in such sentences?

Additionally, can they be used in commands like- Do do your work

I am aware that these sentences may not be typical in daily conversation, but I am inquiring about their grammatical usage.

Kesari Prakash, Maharashtra, India.

Hi Prakash,

Yes, it is grammatically fine, including in commands (imperatives). As you suspected, these sentences sound a bit unusual because of the double "do", but they are grammatical.

I should mention that "do" as a main verb requires an object or a complement, so the first set of sentences should be something like:

  • I do do (well).
  • He does do (a good job).
  • Do do (that).

I hope that helps.

LearnEnglish team

Could you please explain the grammatical differences between the following sentences:

'It is a bus.' 'There is a bus.' 'There goes the bus!' Additionally, could you clarify the grammatical roles of the words 'there' and 'bus' in these sentences? Specifically, are they considered dummy subjects, subjects, adverbs of place, or nouns?

Hi Prakash,

Sure, I'll try to help.

It is a bus  - in this sentence, the speaker/writer is identifying something ("It"). "It" is a dummy subject.

There is a bus  - "There" is an adverb, introducing the subject of the sentence "a bus". The normal word order of the sentence is inverted.

There goes the bus  - "There" is an adverb of place. It indicates a particular place or space (while in the previous sentence, in the most common use of "There is", "There" indicates the existence of something, with a weaker meaning of pointing to a particular place or space). The normal word order is inverted too. The subject is "the bus".

Hello, Which grammatical construction should I use in video tutorials? I mean knitting tutorials, where I show how to knit step by step. Is it correct to use Present Simple in tutorials and video instructions? For example: «I just cut it in two places, here and here, to have such tails, and after this I make 9 loops with the needles...» I've met people using Present Simple and/or Going To in their tutorials. Why nobody uses Present Continuous without Going To in the tutorials?

Hi chonburi,

Grammatically, there's no problem with using present continuous to explain what you are doing in that moment ( I'm cutting here ... I'm looping it ... ). The present continuous focuses on what's happening at a particular moment.

But since you probably have many steps to make the final product, it would be unusual to use the present continuous to focus on every single step. It's more usual to use the present simple to describe a sequence of actions like this. But, while mainly using the present simple, you can also use present continuous at particular times to emphasise important moments or actions.

Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes sense. Thank you very much for your help!

Can I use the present simple to describe what I see in an image? Not just the facts, but even the actions in progress at the time the photograph was taken?

Hello CarolinaRuiz,

My sense is that we typically use the present continuous to describe an image, unless we're using link or stative verbs.

Imagine an image of a family having a picnic on the grass in a park. We'd typically say things like 'The mother is giving the children some fruit', 'The father is arranging the blanket', 'The girl is drinking some water' to describe actions -- note all the present continuous forms here. But we do also use the present simple quite a bit, e.g. 'The boy looks hungry', 'The father is happy', 'The girl wants to play football', etc. These are all stative or link verbs.

But of course if we're talking about an image of a picnic we were at some time in the past, we'd probably use a range of past tense forms.

In a speaking exam where we're asked to speculate what will happen next in an image, we of course would use appropriate forms there as well.

Hope this answers your question. If not, please let us know.

Hello, Kirk.

Yes, it answered my question. Thank you!!

OK, thanks for confirming! Best wishes

Could you please help me with the following:

1. From today, they take their exams. (Their exams started today and will continue for about two weeks). Is Present Simple correct here? Or have I to day "From today, they have taken/have been taking their exams" or "From today they are taking their exams"?

2. I've seen the following sentence on BBC website: "Goalkeeper signs new three-and-a-half-year Bristol City deal". Could you please explain why Present Simple is used here? Is "will sign" or "is going to sign" possible here?

Thank you so much for your help! I appreciate it a lot! And I'm grateful for the answer to this post beforehand!

Hello howtosay_,

1. The present simple is fine here. The exams are a scheduled event and the present simple is appropriate for this. You could use other forms. Will be taking is often used for expected events or actions, and are taking is also possible for arrangements. Will take is possible but would suggest a decision being taken by the speaker rather than a description of the situation. The present perfect does not work here as it suggests an action which began in the past and continues to the present, not one beginning in the present and extending into the future.

2. The present simple is very common in news headline. If you look at the article you will see other verb forms used in the main body, such as present perfect and past simple.

Sir, could you please answer me which one is correct? 1.When I have breakfast, my mom prepares my lunch. 2.When I am having breakfast, my mom prepares my lunch. Is there have any difference? could you explain me, Sir?

Hello JameK,

The second sentence tells us that your mom prepares your lunch while you are in the process of eating breakfast.

The first sentence is ambiguous. It could mean that your mom waits until you have breakfast and then starts to prepare lunch. Maybe you prepare your breakfast and the kitchen is only available for her to prepare lunch once you sit down to eat, for example. Alternatively, it could mean that on certain days you don't have breakfast and on certain days you do and on the days when you have breakfast your mom prepares your lunch. Without any other context it's not clear.

Thank you Sir.

Hello Sir, thank you so much for your wonderful and practical explenation. I wanted to please ask you about the last part, where you explained about using "Present simple" \ "Present continuous" - when talking about the "past" - when you're telling a story and you want to pull the listener into the moment . In the example story you gave, you used both tenses.

My question is - how sould I know, in this case, when to use in the story the"Present simple" and when the "Present continuous"?

Great, I'm glad you found it useful :)

The present simple is used for the main sequence of events (i.e. the things that happened). The present continuous is used for events which are a background to others, as in the example above ("While we are standing there ..." - it seems that "standing there" was the background action to another action that happened). In that way, the use is similar to the use of the past simple and past continuous in a conventional past narrative.

The present continuous can also be used to heighten even further the effect of being in the moment. Adapting the example above, for example: "Well, he's looking a bit dangerous so I'm not feeling sure ..."

Sir I'm have some questions regarding simple present tense. For example Daniel goes to market or I don't like black coffee. These are simple present but what about these sentences like Tom does work everyday or I do work everyday. Can you explain do and does sentence ? Next one is about questions. For example where do you live ? or where she does live ? these sentences are easy because w form words are used in first place but the problem is with the sentences like. Do you know how to bake a cake ? In this w form word is used in between of the sentence. Sir can you explain this too ?

Hello AbdulBasit1234,

'do' and 'does' work as both auxiliary verbs and as main verbs. For example, in 'Tom does work every day', 'does' is a form of the verb 'do' -- it means to carry out an action. But in questions or negatives, 'do' and 'does' are auxiliary verbs: in 'He doesn't work on Monday', 'doesn't' is an auxiliary verb; 'work' is the main verb. It's also possible for 'do' to be both an auxiliary and a main verb in a sentence where the main verb is 'do': 'He doesn't do much work' ('doesn't' is auxiliary, 'do' is main).

I'm not sure I understand your second question. If you are asking about 'how', 'how to bake a cake' is simple a phrase. A phrase can take the place of a simple noun. For example, we could replace the phrase with a noun like 'Judy' ('Do you know Judy?') and the sentence structure is the same.

All the best, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

I am a little bit confused about the present tense in short story.

Story: I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me and tells me he has lost his wallet and asks me to lend him some money. Well, he looks a bit dangerous so I'm not sure what to do and while we are standing there …

I am confused about where it starts with "I was" and then turns to present tense.

Hope you can answer

Hi sxphia_jx,

This is actually quite common in spoken English. Normally, we use past forms for telling stories (narratives). In fact, the verb forms past simple, past continuous, past perfect simple and past perfect continuous are collective sometimes known as 'narrative tenses'. However, when we are recounting a story in a more informal setting (such as telling a joke or a sharing an anecdote), we can use present forms to give a sense of immediacy and to bring the story more to life. As you can see from this text, it's possible to begin with past forms and then switch to present forms for effect.

Present forms can even be used in this way in writing and even in novels. Some well-known examples include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey), Bleak House (Charles Dickens) and The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins).

I have gone through the article on present simple. It is wonderfully written and has covered its different uses.

What I learnt is that it can be used to talk about the scheduled future events, for example: - 1. The school term starts next week. 2. The train leaves at 19:45 this evening. 3. We fly to Paris next week.

I would like to ask whether we can use simple future (instead of simple present) in these type of sentences like 1. The school term will start next week. 2. The train will leave at 19:45 this evening. 3. We will fly to Paris next week.

Is there any difference in the meaning of the above sentences due to replacement of present simple by future simple or do they mean exactly the same?

Hello Mohit,

I'm glad that you found the page useful. I think you'd find the Talking about the future page useful as well, as it compares the different forms most commonly used to speak about the future. It doesn't cover all possible uses, but is definitely quite useful.

In theory, the three sentences with 'will' could be correct in an appropriate situation, but I'm afraid I'm having a hard time thinking of an example for any of them. The present simple ones are much more commonly used.

If you have a specific situation in mind, please let us know.

Hi, I have questions about summarising. Is it possible to write a whole summary ( for example a book ) in past tenses? And why do we use present tenses + past tenses in a summary?

Hello IRaisa,

Yes, it's possible to use past tenses to summarise. People often use present tenses when telling a story because it makes the story seem more alive or more real. The present tense reflects the reality of the listener, who is finding out about the story in the moment they are hearing it.

In a summary, the present can have a similar sense, or it can also have the sense that the story (or film or whatever) is something that is kind of timeless since it can be told at any time. That is, you can read the book now or read it in the future, and other people read it in the past. It might help to think of the story as a building or the sunrise. Both existed yesterday, are happening today, and we expect them to exist or happen again tomorrow. Just as we say 'The sun rises in the morning', we can use a present simple form to tell or summarise a story.

I hope that's helpful (and not more confusing!). In any case, it's OK to use the past to make a summary of a story, but the present is quite commonly used as well.

Thanks, but I still have a question I read a lot of times when somebody connected Present tenses + past tenses for example Barbossa recruits Gibbs, who burns the charts, admitting he memorized every location. Harry deduces that Voldemort is hunting the Elder Wand, which had passed to Dumbledore after he defeated Grindelwald

What is the purpose of that?

In these cases, the past tense shows that those actions happened before the actions in present tense. The present tense is used to narrate the action or 'current' situation in the story, but, as you have noticed, other tenses can be used when it's necessary to refer to other times.

Hello Sir, I have a question – In the following sentence is there any error in 'made it clear' → 'made clear' OR 'poses' → 'pose ' ( as CLIMATE CHANGE and Continued Ecosystem Degradation two nouns are used so we should not add 's/es' in the main verb

Please make it clear Sorry sir, The sentence is: Science has made it clear the adverse impacts that climate change and continued ecosystem degradation poses for the physical world.

Hello Analiza,

The 'it' should be omitted and the verb should be plural: 'Science has made clear the adverse impacts that climate change and continued ecosystem degradation pose for the physical world.'

Sir, cold you explain me this sentence 'give me my book'. Why we use the present simple verb and in what category the verb 'give' belongs to.I mean,is it routine, habit, future, fact?

If this is the full sentence then it is an imperative form. The imperative is used when giving instructions or commands and it is the same as the base form:

Give me my book!

The negative is formed with don't :

Don't go in - the boss is in a meeting.

Don't do that.

Hello I am a fan

Let's say simple present tense is used to describe about the routine or habit of a subject. There is no subject present in the sentence you provided. It is not a sentence of simple present tense instead we can say that it is a sentence of present tense. Hindimadhyam.in

Hi, I'd like to ask about adverbs of frequency. I read on your website ( teens ) we can use them at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. "We can use usually, often, sometimes and occasionally at the beginning of a sentence, and sometimes and often at the end." I watch a movie on youtube and a teacher said we can use them in order to emphasise and de-emphasis. So do we use them at the beginning to emphasis and de-emphasis at the end? What's more I'd like to ask about Definite Adverbs of Frequency. For example Every week, In the morning, weekly we can use at the end and if we put them at the beginning they give more emphasis or are they de-emphasised? In additional, can we use any adverb of frequency at the beginning in questions? And what is the difference if we put a signal word after person and after negative ? Is there any difference? I normally don't watch YouTube I don't normally watch YouTube Can we use occasionally, sometimes after negative? I don't occasionally... I don't sometimes...

As you've already observed, the position of adverbs is quite slippery; they are used in many different ways. Our grammar explanations don't go into all the details because it's generally best to learn the basics first and then beyond that it's usually best to have a teacher explain the more complex cases.

Those are a lot of questions! I'm afraid I can't go into depth on all of them, but, taking your question about adverbs of definite frequency, as I understand it, they generally go in front position when they are not the main focus of the idea. For example, if you say 'Every morning I study for 15 minutes', the main focus is on the fact that it's studying that you do every morning; the focus is not on the fact that it is the morning that you do this, but rather that it is studying that you do.

Does that help?

It's okay. I thank you for the answer

I made a sentence: "My idea is main", could you tell me whether it is wrong or not (Please explain and reply to me as fast as possible)

Thank you very much Paul.

Hello Paul-Phan,

Most adjectives can be used before a noun (e.g. in 'The red house is new', the adjective 'red' comes before the noun 'house'; this position of the adjective before the noun is called 'attributive position') or after a link verb (e.g. in 'The house is red', the adjective 'red' comes after the link verb 'is'; this position of the adjective after a link verb is called 'predicative position').

But there are some adjectives that are only used in attributive position or predicative position. 'main' is an adjective that is only used in attributive position -- you can see this in this dictionary entry where it says ' adjective   [ only before noun ] '.

Therefore I'm afraid that your sentence is not correct in normal usage. You could perhaps say something like 'My idea is the main one' or 'My idea is central' instead.

Hope this helps.

Hello sir ,

can we use just future tense without present tense in example above (If it rains we ‘ll get up ) , can we say ( if it will rains we will get up )

Hello g-ssan,

No, we generally don't use 'will' in the if-clause. The exception is when we want to say something like 'if you are so stubborn and insist on...' or 'if you refuse to change'. For example:

If you will arrive late then you will have problems > If you refuse to change and insist on arriving late then you will have problems.

Obviously the weather cannot insist on anything as it is not a person so this rare exception does not apply here.

By the way, strictly speaking English has no future tense. 'Will' is a modal verb which can refer to future time but can also have other meanings. In many cases you can replace 'will' with other modal verbs:

I will go tomorrow > I might/may/should/could/can/ought to/must (etc) go tomorrow.

Hi Jonathan, Thanks so much for your reply. If a teacher in the class wants to ask whether his students already understand his explanation, [1] can he use one of the following questions ? (a) Do you understand what I've just explained to you? (b) Did you understand..... ? (c) Do you get what I've just explained to you ? (d) Did you get....... ? (e) Have you got......?

[2] If all the above questions are appropriate, which one(s) is(are) the most commonly used in this situation?

I would highly appreciate your help.

Best regards,

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Etymology

present (adj.)

c. 1300, "being in the same place as someone or something;" early 14c., "existing at the time," from Old French present "evident, at hand, within reach;" as a noun, "the present time" (11c., Modern French présent ) and directly from Latin praesentem (nominative praesens ) "present, at hand, in sight; immediate; prompt, instant; contemporary," from present participle of præesse "be before (someone or something), be at hand," from prae- "before" (see pre- ) + esse "to be" (from PIE root *es- "to be").

Meaning "abiding in a specified place" is from mid-14c. in English. As a grammatical tense expressing action or being in the present time, recorded from late 14c.

present (v.)

c. 1300, presenten , "bring into the presence of, introduce (someone or something) formally or ceremonially;" also "make a formal presentation of; give as a gift or award; bestow; approach with a gift, bring or lay before one for acceptance," from Old French presenter (11c., Modern French présenter ) and directly from Latin praesentare "to place before, show, exhibit," from stem of praesens (see present (adj.)).

From late 14c. as "exhibit (something), demonstrate, reveal, offer for inspection, display;" also, in law, "accuse to the authorities, make a formal complaint or charge of wrongdoing." From c. 1400 as "represent, portray." Related: Presented ; presenting . To present arms "bring the firearm to a perpendicular position in front of the body" is by 1759.

present (n.1)

c. 1300, "the present time, time now passing, this point in time" (opposed to past and future ), also "act or fact of being present; portion of space around someone," from Old French present (n.) "the present time" (11c.), from Latin praesens "being there" (see present (adj.)).

In Middle English also "the portion of space around someone" (mid-14c.). In old legalese, these presents means "these documents, the documents in hand" (late 14c.).

present (n.2)

c. 1200, "thing offered, what is offered or given as a gift," from Old French present and directly from Medieval Latin presentia , from phrases such as French en present "(to offer) in the presence of," mettre en present "place before, give," from Latin in re praesenti "in the situation in question," from praesens "being there" (see present (adj.), and compare present (v.)). The notion is of "something brought into someone's presence."

The difference between present and gift is felt in the fact that one may be willing to accept as a present that which he would not be willing to accept as a gift : a gift is to help the one receiving it; a present does him honor, or expresses friendly feeling toward him. A present is therefore ordinarily to an individual; but in law gift is used, to the exclusion of present , as including all transfers of property without consideration and for the benefit of the donee. [Century Dictionary]

Entries linking to present

"quality of being in all places simultaneously," c. 1600, from Medieval Latin omnipraesentia , from omnipraesens "present everywhere," from Latin omnis "all, every" (see omni- ) + praesens "present" (see present (adj.)).

"everywhere present, in all places at the same time," c. 1600, from Medieval Latin omnipraesentem (nominative omnipraesens ) "present everywhere," from Latin omnis "all, every" (see omni- ) + praesens "present" (see present (adj.)). Related: Omnipresently .

presentable

presentation

present-day

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updated on October 23, 2020

Dictionary entries near present

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What Is Present Value?

  • Understanding PV
  • Formula and Calculation

Determining the Discount Rate

  • Limitations

Future Value vs. Present Value

The bottom line.

  • Corporate Finance
  • Financial Statements

What Is Present Value in Finance, and How Is It Calculated?

present by meaning

Ariel Courage is an experienced editor, researcher, and former fact-checker. She has performed editing and fact-checking work for several leading finance publications, including The Motley Fool and Passport to Wall Street.

present by meaning

Present value (PV) is the current value of a future sum of money or stream of cash flows given a specified rate of return. Future cash flows are discounted at the discount rate, and the higher the discount rate, the lower the present value of the future cash flows.

Determining the appropriate discount rate is the key to properly valuing future cash flows, whether they be earnings or debt obligations.

Key Takeaways

  • Present value states that an amount of money today is worth more than the same amount in the future.
  • In other words, present value shows that money received in the future is not worth as much as an equal amount received today.
  • Unspent money today could lose value in the future by an implied annual rate due to inflation or the rate of return if the money were invested.
  • Calculating present value involves assuming that a rate of return could be earned on the funds over the period.
  • Present value is calculated by taking the expected cash flows of an investment and discounting them to the present day.

Investopedia / Katie Kerpel

Understanding Present Value

Present value is the concept that states that an amount of money today is worth more than that same amount in the future. In other words, money received in the future is not worth as much as an equal amount received today.

Receiving $1,000 today is worth more than $1,000 five years from now. Why? Because an investor can invest that $1,000 today and presumably earn a rate of return over the next five years. Present value takes into account any interest rate an investment might earn.

For example, if an investor receives $1,000 today and can earn a rate of return of 5% per year, the $1,000 today is certainly worth more than receiving $1,000 five years from now. If an investor waited five years for $1,000, there would be an opportunity cost or the investor would lose out on the rate of return for the five years.

Inflation Reduces Future Value

Inflation is the rise in prices of goods and services over time. If you receive money today, you can buy goods at today's prices. As inflation causes the price of goods to rise in the future, your purchasing power decreases.

Consequently, money that you don't spend today could be expected to lose value in the future by some implied annual rate (which could be the inflation rate or the rate of return if the money were invested).

The present value formula discounts the future value to today's dollars by factoring in the implied annual rate from either inflation or the investment rate of return.

Present Value Formula and Calculation

Present Value = FV ( 1 + r ) n where: FV = Future Value r = Rate of return n = Number of periods \begin{aligned} &\text{Present Value} = \dfrac{\text{FV}}{(1+r)^n}\\ &\textbf{where:}\\ &\text{FV} = \text{Future Value}\\ &r = \text{Rate of return}\\ &n = \text{Number of periods}\\ \end{aligned} ​ Present Value = ( 1 + r ) n FV ​ where: FV = Future Value r = Rate of return n = Number of periods ​

  • Input the future amount that you expect to receive in the numerator of the formula.
  • Determine the interest rate that you expect to receive between now and the future and plug the rate as a decimal in place of "r" in the denominator.
  • Input the time period as the exponent "n" in the denominator. So, if you want to calculate the present value of an amount you expect to receive in three years, you would plug in the number three.
  • A number of online calculators are available, including this present value calculator .

The discount rate is the investment rate of return that is applied to the present value calculation. In other words, the discount rate would be the forgone rate of return if an investor chose to accept an amount in the future versus the same amount today. The discount rate that is chosen for the present value calculation is highly subjective because it's the expected rate of return you'd receive if you had invested today's dollars for a period of time.

In many cases, a risk-free rate of return is determined and used as the discount rate, which is often called the hurdle rate . The rate represents the rate of return that the investment or project would need to earn in order to be worth pursuing. A U.S. Treasury bond rate is often used as the risk-free rate because Treasuries are backed by the U.S. government. So, for example, if a two-year Treasury paid 2% interest or yield , the investment would need to earn more than 2% to justify the risk.

The discount rate is the sum of the time value and a relevant interest rate that mathematically increases future value in nominal or absolute terms. Conversely, the discount rate is used to work out future value in terms of present value, allowing a lender to settle on the fair amount of any future earnings or obligations in relation to the present value of the capital. The word "discount" refers to future value being discounted to present value.

The calculation of discounted or present value is extremely important in many financial calculations. For example, net present value , bond yields, and pension obligations all rely on discounted or present value. Learning how to use a financial calculator or Excel to make present value calculations can help you decide whether you should accept such offers as a cash rebate, 0% financing on the purchase of a car, or pay points on a mortgage .

Benefits of Present Value

  • Present value can be helpful to investors' and companies' financial and investment decision-making. It can provide valuable insight into whether or not to make certain investments over others.
  • Present value can clarify whether an investment's estimated rate of return is enough to make the future result of the investment worthwhile.
  • In addition, it can serve as a fundamental comparison tool during the investment selection process.
  • Understanding the meaning of present value and employing its formula can shed light on the economic impact of the changing value of money across high inflation periods.

Limitations of Present Value

  • Present value involves an assumption about the discount rate (rate of return). So, those deciding on corporate projects or preparing financial analysis reports can get the results they need by altering that assumption. This isn't helpful for a company's performance or decision-making integrity.
  • Rates of return must be realistic to make a calculation of present value useful. Unfortunately, projected rates of return (and rates of inflation, as well) are just that—projections. So exact values aren't possible.
  • It's important to consider that for any investment decision, no interest rate is guaranteed and inflation can erode value as well.

Future returns are usually compared to a baseline equal to the yield on a U.S. Treasury Bond, rather than zero. This is because Treasurys are considered extremely low risk, and they are used to represent the risk-free rate of return.

Example of Present Value

Let's say you have the choice of being paid $2,000 today earning 3% annually or $2,200 one year from now. Which is the best option?

  • Using the present value formula, the calculation is $2,200 / (1 +. 03) 1 = $2,135.92
  • PV = $2,135.92, or the minimum amount that you would need to be paid today to have $2,200 one year from now. In other words, if you were paid $2,000 today and it could earn a 3% interest rate, the amount would not be enough to give you $2,200 one year from now.
  • Alternatively, you could calculate the future value of the $2,000 today in a year's time: 2,000 x 1.03 = $2,060.

Present value provides a basis for assessing the fairness of any future financial benefits or liabilities. For example, a future cash rebate discounted to present value may or may not be worth having a potentially higher purchase price. The same financial calculation applies to 0% financing when buying a car.

Paying some interest on a lower sticker price may work out better for the buyer than paying zero interest on a higher sticker price. Paying mortgage points now in exchange for lower mortgage payments later makes sense only if the present value of the future mortgage savings is greater than the mortgage points paid today.

A comparison of present value with future value (FV) best illustrates the principle of the time value of money and the need for charging or paying additional risk-based interest rates. Simply put, the money today is worth more than the same money tomorrow because of the passage of time. Future value can relate to the future cash inflows from investing today's money, or the future payment required to repay money borrowed today.

Future value is the value of a current  asset  at a specified date in the future based on an assumed rate of growth. The FV equation assumes a constant rate of growth and a single upfront payment left untouched for the duration of the investment. The FV calculation allows investors to predict, with varying degrees of accuracy, the amount of profit that can be generated by different investments.

Present value is the current value of a future sum of money or stream of cash flows given a specified rate of return. Present value takes the future value and applies a discount rate or the interest rate that could be earned if invested. Future value tells you what an investment is worth in the future while the present value tells you how much you'd need in today's dollars to earn a specific amount in the future.

How Do You Calculate Present Value?

Present value is calculated by taking the future cash flows expected from an investment and discounting them back to the present day. To do so, the investor needs three key data points: the expected cash flows, the number of years in which the cash flows will be paid, and their discount rate. The discount rate is a very important factor in influencing the present value, with higher discount rates leading to a lower present value, and vice-versa. Using these variables, investors can calculate the present value using the formula:

Present Value = FV ( 1 + r ) n where: FV = Future Value r = Rate of return n = Number of periods \begin{aligned} &\text{Present Value} = \dfrac{\text{FV}}{(1+r)^n}\\ &\textbf{where:}\\ &\text{FV} = \text{Future Value}\\ &r = \text{Rate of return}\\ &n = \text{Number of periods}\\ \end{aligned} ​ Present Value = ( 1 + r ) n FV ​ where: FV = Future Value r = Rate of return n = Number of periods ​

What Is An Example of Present Value?

Consider a scenario where you expect to earn a $5,000 lump sum payment in five years' time. If the discount rate is 8.25%, you want to know what that payment will be worth today. So you calculate the PV: $5,000/(1 + 0.0825) 5 = $3,363.80.

Why Is Present Value Important?

Present value is important because it allows investors to judge whether or not the price they pay for an investment is appropriate. Calculating present value (and future value) can help investors when they are presented with the choice of earning a fixed sum for the investment at some point in the future, or gaining a percentage of the principal.

Present value calculations are often needed in areas such as investment analysis, risk management, and business financial planning, but the concept is also useful outside of business. For example, understanding the present and future values of an annuity can help you when predicting your retirement income.

Present value is a way of representing the current value of future cash flows, based on the principle that money in the present is worth more than money in the future. Present value is used to value the income from loans, mortgages, and other assets that may take many years to realize their full value. Investors use these calculations to compare the value of assets with very different time horizons.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. " Treasury Securities ."

present by meaning

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Tables in Report Writing: Presented or Present?

Mary Cullen

Table of Contents

Here is a interesting client grammar question related to technical report writing . I've never been asked this before, nor seen it specifically addressed anywhere. 

At the end of a paragraph in a technical report, which of the following would you prefer?

“Details are present in Table 3.”

“Details are presented in Table 3.”

I checked the major style guides, and none address this specifically, even the technical guides.

It makes sense this is not specifically addressed in the style guides because this really is a simple issue of tense and choice of using a verb or adjective to better convey meaning.

Present is one of those maddening English words that can actually be a noun, verb, and adjective.

Used as a Verb and Noun: Present is a present tense verb. Presented is a past tense verb. (This assumes we are using  present to mean conveying information, as opposed to using the noun form of present , which means a gift.)

Used as an Adjective:  

present |priˈzent| adjective 1  a doctor must be present at the ringside :  in attendance ,  here, there, near, nearby, (close/near) at hand, available.  ANTONYMS  absent.

2  organic compounds are present in the waste :  in existence ,  existing, existent.  ANTONYMS  absent.

Present used as an adjective indicates the information is there, but not really conciously placed there. Therefore, present, as an adjective,  would technically be grammatically correct. However, the usage is odd.

Logically, one would neither write nor read a table at the same time one is in another area of the report, so "presented," as a verb is the better choice, since it indicates the information was placed there, and placed there in the verb form meaning of giving information. Yes, this questions really illustrates how English grammar can be very confusing!

In nearly all the scientific and technical report writing I see, tables and other illustrative materials are indicated with "...as presented in Table 3." That meaning makes more sense. "As presented" (verb) connotes deliberate placement. "As present" (adjective) just means it's there. Subtle distinction, but "presented" is better.

I have seen "...as present in Table 3" a few times in reports, and it looks very odd to the eye.

I recommend you use " presented " when referencing tables and graphs in reports.

Technical and scientific writers, and my grammar friends: would you use presented or present ?

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Meaning of present in English

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present noun ( SOMETHING GIVEN )

  • present The coat was a birthday present from my sister.
  • gift I have a small gift for you.
  • donation After the earthquake, donations poured in from all over the world.
  • grant Top-ranked students will receive a full-tuition grant.
  • contribution She wanted to make a financial contribution to the family.
  • We're having a collection for Tom's retirement present.
  • They got an entire set of silver cutlery as a wedding present.
  • I was looking for a birthday present for my mother but I didn't find anything suitable .
  • Aren't you going to unwrap your presents?
  • The children squealed in delight when they saw all the presents under the Christmas tree .
  • Christmas box
  • Christmas stocking
  • gift receipt
  • party favor
  • secret Santa

present noun ( NOW )

  • I'm usually too immersed in the present to worry about the future .
  • Let's talk about the present.
  • contemporaneity
  • contemporarily
  • contemporary
  • in this day and age idiom
  • the status quo
  • there's no time like the present idiom
  • this minute idiom

present adjective ( IN A PLACE )

  • Mind your language - there are ladies present!
  • Is it necessary for all of us to be present at the meeting this afternoon ?
  • Melanin is the dark brown pigment of the hair , skin , and eyes that is present in varying amounts in every human being.
  • More men are present at the births of their children these days .
  • There ought to be an adult present at all times , when there are young children in the pool .
  • be in at the kill idiom
  • in the flesh idiom
  • kick around
  • seropositive
  • sit through something
  • synchronically
  • to someone's face idiom

present adjective ( NOW )

  • Charlie has a clever plan for getting us out of our present difficulties .
  • Unlike the present government , we believe in serving the community .
  • The present system of payment will remain in effect until the end of the rental agreement .
  • The present voting system distorts the wishes of the electorate .
  • Are you feeling frustrated in your present job ?

present verb ( GIVE )

  • give Give me that dirty plate.
  • offer Your doctor should be able to offer advice.
  • provide This booklet provides useful information about local services.
  • supply The lake supplies the whole town with water.
  • donate Four hundred dollars has been donated to the school book fund.
  • He has a lot more work to do before he can present the scheme to the public .
  • Ruth was astonished when he presented her with an engagement ring .
  • She presented a well-argued case for the banning of smoking in public places .
  • She graciously accepted the flowers that were presented to her.
  • The Duchess of Kent will be presenting the trophies .
  • accommodate
  • accommodate someone with something
  • administration
  • arm someone with something
  • hand something in
  • hand something out
  • hand something over
  • hand something round
  • reprovision

present verb ( INTRODUCE )

  • I'd like to present my grandson , Jackson Junior.
  • He was presented to the Queen and given a knighthood .
  • She used to present one of those holiday programs but now she reads the news .
  • May I present Sir Bob Geldof?
  • What was that documentary called that she used to present?
  • announcement
  • audio described
  • executive producer
  • interchannel
  • serialization
  • transmission

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Present adjective [not gradable] ( grammar ), present adjective [not gradable] ( place ), present verb [t] ( provide ), present verb [t] ( cause ), present verb [t] ( introduce ), present | business english, examples of present, translations of present.

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A man walks through knee-high water on a sidewalk next to a car parked at the curb with water over its wheels.

El Niño is starting to lose strength after fueling a hot, stormy year, but it’s still powerful − an atmospheric scientist explains what’s ahead for 2024

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Paul Roundy receives funding from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Wild weather has been roiling North America for the past few months, thanks in part to a strong El Niño that sent temperatures surging in 2023. The climate phenomenon fed atmospheric rivers drenching the West Coast and contributed to summer’s extreme heat in the South and Midwest and fall’s wet storms across the East .

That strong El Niño is now starting to weaken and will likely be gone by late spring 2024.

So, what does that mean for the months ahead – and for the 2024 hurricane season?

What is El Niño?

Let’s start with a quick look at what an El Niño is.

El Niño and its opposite, La Niña, are climate patterns that influence weather around the world. El Niño tends to raise global temperatures, as we saw in 2023, while La Niña events tend to be slightly cooler. The two result in global temperatures fluctuating above and below the warming trend set by climate change .

El Niño starts as warm water builds up along the equator in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, off South America.

A colored map shows temperature differences with a warm area just west of South America along the equator.

Typically, tropical Pacific winds blow from the east, exposing cold water along the equator and building up warm water in the western Pacific. Every three to seven years or so , however, these winds relax or turn to blow from the west. When that happens, warm water rushes to the east. The warmer-than-normal water drives more rainfall and alters winds around the world. This is El Niño .

The water stays warm for several months until, ultimately, it cools or is driven away from the equator by the return of the trade winds.

When the eastern Pacific region along the equator becomes abnormally cold, La Niña has emerged, and global weather patterns change again.

What to expect from El Niño in 2024

While the 2023-24 El Niño event likely peaked in December , it is still strong.

For the rest of winter, forecasts suggest that strong El Niño conditions will likely continue to favor unusual warmth in Canada and the northern United States and occasional stormy conditions across the southern states.

Two maps of typical winter conditions under El Nino and La Nina show the Southwest wetter and the Northwest and upper Midwest generally warmer under El Nino.

El Niño is likely to end in late spring or early summer, shifting briefly to neutral. There’s a good chance we will see La Niña conditions this fall. But forecasting when that happens and what comes next is harder.

How an El Niño ends

While it’s easy to tell when an El Niño event reaches its peak, predicting when one will end depends on how the wind blows, and everyday weather affects the winds.

The warm area of surface water that defines El Niño typically becomes more shallow toward spring. In mid-May 1998, at the end of an even stronger El Niño event , there was a time when people fishing in the warm surface water in the eastern tropical Pacific could have touched the cold water layer a few feet below by just jumping in. At that point, it took only a moderate breeze to pull the cold water to the surface, ending the El Niño event.

But exactly when a strong El Niño event reverses varies. A big 1983 El Niño didn’t end until July. And the El Niño in 1987 retreated into the central Pacific but did not fully reverse until December.

As of early February 2024, strong westerly winds were driving warm water from west to east across the equatorial Pacific.

These winds tend to make El Niño last a little longer. However, they’re also likely to drive what little warm water remains along the equator out of the tropics, up and down the coasts of the Americas. The more warm water that is expelled, the greater the chances of full reversal to La Niña conditions in the fall.

Summer and the hurricane risk

Among the more important El Niño effects is its tendency to reduce Atlantic hurricane activity .

El Niño’s Pacific Ocean heat affects upper level winds that blow across the Gulf of Mexico and the tropical Atlantic Ocean. That increases wind shear - the change in wind speed and direction with height – which can tear hurricanes apart.

The 2024 hurricane season likely won’t have El Niño around to help weaken storms. But that doesn’t necessarily mean an active season.

During the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season , El Niño’s effect on the winds was more than offset by abnormally warm Atlantic waters, which fuel hurricanes. The season ended with more storms than average.

The strange El Niño of 2023-24

Although the 2023-24 El Niño event wasn’t the strongest in recent decades, many aspects of it have been unusual.

It followed three years of La Niña conditions, which is unusually long. It also emerged quickly, from March to May 2023. The combination led to weather extremes unseen since perhaps the 1870s .

Two cars are trapped up to their widows in a mudslide that poured through a Los Angeles neighborhood. One car is parked in its driveway,

La Niña cools the tropics but stores warm water in the western Pacific. It also warms the middle latitude oceans by weakening the winds and allowing more sunshine through. After three years of La Niña, the rapid emergence of El Niño helped make the Earth’s surface warmer than in any recent year .

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Watch CBS News

The House just impeached Alejandro Mayorkas. Here's what happens next.

By Kaia Hubbard

Updated on: February 14, 2024 / 9:58 AM EST / CBS News

Washington — The House voted to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday, casting a historic vote that marks the first time a Cabinet secretary has been impeached in nearly 150 years. 

Under two articles of impeachment accusing Mayorkas of "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and a "breach of public trust," House Republicans took the rare step toward removing Mayorkas from office on Tuesday. The vote came a week after an initial attempt failed.

But the impeachment push is all but certain to die in the Senate, which has the final say over removing officials under the Constitution.

Here's what to know about the Mayorkas impeachment vote and what happens next.

The impeachment vote

The House narrowly voted 214 to 213 to impeach Mayorkas, with three Republicans opposing the move. The vote came after the effort fell short last week , when Mayorkas narrowly survived an impeachment vote as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to oppose it. But when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise returned to the chamber this week after being away for cancer treatment, Republicans had the narrow majority they needed to impeach the cabinet secretary. 

In a statement following the vote on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said the impeachment push came "without a shred of evidence" or basis in the Constitution, noting the bipartisan opposition. Democrats have derided the effort, calling the impeachment a political stunt with no constitutional basis.

"This baseless impeachment will do nothing to secure the border  —  Republicans have admitted as much," Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement after the vote. "Instead of providing the Department of Homeland Security the resources it needs or working together towards a bipartisan solution, they have rejected any solution for the sole reason that they can have a political wedge issue in an election year." 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies during a House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on April 27, 2022.

Constitutional scholars have argued that the allegations against Mayorkas do not rise to the level of impeachable offenses, noting that under the Constitution, the basis for impeachment is "high Crimes and Misdemeanors." But ultimately, enough Republicans coalesced around the move to impeach the Cabinet secretary to protest the administration's handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said Tuesday that Mayorkas "is an exceptional case." Johnson argued that the border chief "has brought more damage on the country than any cabinet secretary that has ever been." 

"The House has a constitutional responsibility, as I've said many times, probably the heaviest next to a declaration of war, and we have to do our job regardless of what the other chamber does," he told reporters. 

What happens now that Mayorkas has been impeached?

The vote does not remove Mayorkas from office, since impeachment is only the first step in the process of ousting an official from their post. The matter now heads to the Senate, which has the "sole Power" under the Constitution to hold a trial that could lead to conviction and removal from office.

It's highly unlikely that Mayorkas would be removed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority would be required for conviction. Senators of both parties have criticized the House for holding an impeachment vote in the first place, knowing it will fail in the upper chamber.

Still, exactly how the Senate will proceed remains to be seen. Precedent dictates that the chamber will move quickly to trial, but what that looks like — and what the Constitution demands — has been subject to debate.

"[The Constitution] says that the Senate 'shall' have the sole power to hold a trial, but that 'shall' is doing a lot of work there and it doesn't mandate it," says Casey Burgat, the director of the Legislative Affairs Program at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. "And in a lot of people's eyes, it doesn't force it."

The Senate rules suggest that once the chamber receives the articles of impeachment from the House, they must schedule a trial to begin the following day, Burgat explained. But a majority could vote to "reinterpret" the rules, opening up a number of avenues to speed through, delay or dismiss the impeachment outright. 

"Depending on the entrepreneurship of the people there and how much the majority is willing to not do that, they've got a lot of options to kind of rejigger the rule," Burgat said.

The Senate is expected to convene and receive the impeachment articles from the House before proceeding with any action one way or another. Any vote would require the backing of a majority of the chamber and put each senator on the record with their position. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office said Tuesday night the upper chamber will start Mayorkas' impeachment trial after senators return to Washington on Feb. 26. 

"The House impeachment managers will present the articles of impeachment to the Senate following the state work period," his office said. "Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside."

Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, told reporters that he expects the effort to fall short in the Senate. 

"It'll fail in the Senate," Lankford said. "If I could use the House term, it'll be dead on arrival when it comes over."

Alan He, Ellis Kim and Caitlin Yilek contributed reporting. 

Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.

More from CBS News

House impeaches Alejandro Mayorkas in historic vote

Special counsel in Biden documents case to testify before Congress on March 12

Special counsel in Biden documents probe could testify in coming weeks

Blinken speaks with Paul Whelan, American detained in Russia, for third time

Biden won’t be charged in classified docs case; special counsel cites instances of ‘poor memory’

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Hur has declined to prosecute President Joe Biden for his handling of classified documents but said in a report released Thursday that Biden’s practices “present serious risks to national security” and added that part of the reason he wouldn't charge Biden was that the president could portray himself as an "elderly man with a poor memory" who would be sympathetic to a jury.

“Our investigation uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen,” the report said, but added that the evidence “does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The report from Hur — who previously appointed by former President Donald Trump as one of the country's top federal prosecutors — also made clear the "material distinctions" between a theoretical case against Biden and the pending case against Trump for his handling of classified documents, noting the "serious aggravating facts" in Trump's case.

Biden said in remarks from the White House after the report was made public that he was pleased that the report cleared him.

"The decision to decline criminal charges was straightforward," Biden said.

He also said: “My memory’s fine.”

Hur’s report included several shocking lines about Biden’s memory, which the report said “was significantly limited” during his 2023 interviews with the special counsel. Biden’s age and presentation would make it more difficult to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that the now-81-year-old was guilty of willfully committing a crime.

“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” it said. “Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone for whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt. It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”

Later in the report, the special counsel said that the president’s memory was “worse” during an interview with him than it was in recorded conversations from 2017.

“He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 — when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’),” the report said.

Biden also had difficulty remembering the timing of his son Beau’s death, as well as a debate about Afghanistan, the report said.

“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died,” the report said.

Defenders of the president quickly pointed out that he sat for the interview in the days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Biden, giving previously scheduled remarks on Thursday, appeared to nod to that, saying, “I was in the middle of handling an international crisis.”

He also added that he was “especially pleased” that the special counsel “made clear the stark differences between this case and Donald Trump.”

Andrew Weissman, who served on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, said Thursday on MSNBC that Hur’s decision to lodge criticisms of Biden’s memory problems was “gratuitous” and reminded him of when former FBI Director James Comey held a news conference criticizing Hillary Clinton in the months before the 2016 election.

“This is not being charged. And yet a person goes out and gives their opinion with adjectives and adverbs about what they think, entirely inappropriate,” he said. “I think a really fair criticism of this is, unfortunately, we’re seeing a redux of what we saw with respect to James Comey at the FBI with respect to Hillary Clinton in terms of really not adhering to what I think are the highest ideals of the Department of Justice.”

page 131 photo hur report

In a Monday letter to Hur and his deputy special counsel, Richard Sauber and Bob Bauer, Biden’s personal counsel, disputed how the report characterized the president’s memory.

“We do not believe that the report’s treatment of President Biden’s memory is accurate or appropriate,” Sauber and Bauer wrote in the letter, which was also released on Thursday. “The report uses highly prejudicial language to describe a commonplace occurrence among witnesses: a lack of recall of years-old events.”

Separately, Sauber responded to the report by saying the White House is “pleased” it has concluded and that there were no criminal charges.

“As the Special Counsel report recognizes, the President fully cooperated from day one,” he said in a statement. “His team promptly self-reported the classified documents that were found to ensure that these documents were immediately returned to the government because the President knows that’s where they belong.”

Sauber went on to appear to criticize the report but raised no specific points.

“We disagree with a number of inaccurate and inappropriate comments in the Special Counsel’s report,” Sauber said in his statement. “Nonetheless, the most important decision the Special Counsel made — that no charges are warranted — is firmly based on the facts and evidence.”

Hur’s report said there were “clear” material distinctions between a potential case against Biden and the pending case against Trump, noting that unlike “the evidence involving Mr. Biden, the allegations set forth in the indictment of Mr. Trump, if proven, would present serious aggravating facts.”

present by meaning

Most notably, the report said, “after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite.” In contrast, it said, “Mr. Biden turned in classified documents to the National Archives and the Department of Justice, consented to the search of multiple locations including his homes, sat for a voluntary interview, and in other ways cooperated with the investigation.”

Some of the report focuses on documents about Afghanistan, from early in Barack Obama’s presidency. About a month after Biden left office as vice president, in a recorded conversation with his ghostwriter in February 2017, Biden remarked that he “just found all this classified stuff downstairs,” the report said. He told him, “Some of this may be classified, so be careful," in one recording. Biden was believed to have been referring to classified documents about the Afghanistan troop surge in 2009, which Biden opposed.

The announcement tops off a lengthy saga that began in November 2022, after one of Biden’s personal attorneys found classified documents that appeared to be from the Obama administration at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, which Biden had used as a personal office after his vice presidential term concluded. Classified documents were later also found at Biden’s Delaware home.

The existence of classified documents at Biden’s home and former office were first reported in January 2023. CBS News first reported the existence of the documents at the Penn Biden Center.

Attorney General Merrick Garland in January 2023 announced that he would appoint Hur as special counsel to oversee the investigation into Biden, saying the appointment authorized him “to investigate whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter.”

Biden was interviewed in October as part of the investigation, the White House said. The interview was voluntary, according to White House spokesman Ian Sams.

“As we have said from the beginning, the President and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation,” Sams said at the time.

NBC News has also previously reported that the special counsel had interviewed Hunter Biden as well, according to a source familiar with the matter.

With Hur’s announcement, Donald Trump remains the only president in history to face criminal charges, which include seven criminal charges in connection with mishandling classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. According to the indictment in that case, Trump had more than 100 classified documents at his Florida home, including documents with “Top Secret” classification markings.

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Ryan J. Reilly is a justice reporter for NBC News.

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Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington.

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Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Lunar New Year 2024: What does the Year of the Dragon mean?

What is lunar new year and how is it different from the western new year.

There are two distinct celebrations that signify the beginning of a new year in Australia among people of East Asian origins: the Western New Year and the Lunar New Year. Also known as the Gregorian New Year, the Western New Year is observed on 1 January, while the Lunar New Year, also referred to as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is celebrated according to the lunisolar calendar and generally falls between 21 January and 20 February.

While both celebrations share some similarities, they also have their own unique customs and traditions that make them truly special. The Western New Year is widely celebrated around the world and marks the start of the Gregorian calendar year in many countries, particularly in the Western world. On the other hand, the Lunar New Year is a major festival in the Sinosphere or the Sinic world (Chinese-speaking countries and regions, and countries and regions historically under Chinese influence), including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Vietnam, and Korea.

Happy New Year!

photo of a Chinese Lion Dance for New Year

Chinese lion dance for Chinese new year celebrations. Photo: AdobeStock

New Year is a joyful event that is celebrated globally, without any cultural or religious restrictions. People throw parties, enjoy countdowns to midnight and engage in various activities to celebrate it. In the Sinic world, Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is particularly significant and has deep cultural and traditional roots. It is a time for families to gather, pay respect to their ancestors and welcome the arrival of spring. So, whether one celebrates with fireworks and parties on 1 January or enjoys traditional foods and dragon and lion dances during the Lunar New Year, both celebrations offer a wonderful opportunity to welcome the new year with joy and excitement.

Why is 2024 Lunar New Year called the Year of the Wood Dragon?

Bright blue lanterns in the shape of dragons in the street at night time

Dragons at the Lantern Festival for the 2024 Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon in Shanghai, China, January 2024. Photo: Adobe Stock

The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year cycle that links each year to an animal sign. The 12 animal signs are Rat ( shu 鼠), Ox ( niu 牛), Tiger ( hu 虎), Rabbit ( tu 兔), Dragon ( long 龍), Snake ( she 蛇), Horse ( ma 馬), Sheep ( yang 羊), Monkey ( hou 猴), Rooster ( ji 雞), Dog ( gou 狗) and Pig ( zhu 豬). The order of the animal signs is fixed, with the Dragon being the fifth in the cycle, hence the Year of the Dragon ( longnian 龍年) in 2024. Last year, 2023, was the Year of the Rabbit ( tunian 兔年) and 2025 is the Year of the Snake ( shennian 蛇年).

Each year also corresponds to one of the five basic elements ( wuxing 五行) in Chinese cosmology, namely Metal ( jin 金), Wood ( mu 木), Water ( shui 水), Fire ( huo 火) or Earth ( tu 土), creating a 60-year cycle. The universe is believed to be composed of the five elements that interact with each other in a cyclical way. These five elements are the fundamental building blocks of everything around us. The 60-year cycle is a combination of the 12 animal signs and the five elements. The understanding and application of the five elements is an essential aspect of Chinese astrology, cosmology, medicine, philosophy, and feng shui in particular.

The Chinese lunisolar calendar determines the specific animal and element associated with a particular year. The Year of the Dragon in 2024 is associated with the element of Wood. The combination of the animal sign (Dragon) and the element (Wood) designates the year as the Year of the Wood Dragon.

The Lunar New Year will begin on 10 February in 2024. This marks the start of the Year of the Wood Dragon.

What are people born in the Year of the Dragon like?

Individuals born in the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac, are believed to possess certain characteristics and traits associated with the dragon. They tend to be ambitious, confident and charismatic. They possess an abundance of energy and enthusiasm while also displaying exceptional intelligence and power. They are naturally lucky and gifted, often accomplishing their endeavours with exceptional standards of excellence. However, they may also exhibit negative characteristics, such as arrogance, bigotry, dominance, irritability, and subjectivity, which may make them reluctant to accept defeat.

It is important to note that the characteristics and personality traits associated with the Chinese zodiac signs are generalisations. As with any cultural or astrological tradition, there exists a considerable degree of individual variability that should not be overlooked. Therefore, it is recommended to interpret the Chinese zodiac traits with a cultural understanding and a nuanced approach. The years of the dragon include: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and 2012.

What are the taboos during Year of the Dragon?

The Year of the Dragon is associated with various taboos that differ across locations and periods in the Sinic world. However, there is a general consensus on certain taboos one should observe:

  • Avoid using characters, and characters that contain the radicals, such as xu 戌 (weapon) or ge 戈 (halberd, spear, lance), and gou 狗 (dog) or quan 犬/ 犭 (dog) when naming a baby born in the Year of the Dragon. This is because chen 辰 and xu 戌are mutually exclusive in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches ( tiangan dizhi 天干地支 or simply ganzhi 干支)
  • Avoid placing the bed in the northwest corner when arranging the furniture in your bedroom, as the northwest is believed to belong to the Earthly Branch of xu 戌, which is associated with the zodiac animal of Dog in Chinese astrology. The Dragon corresponds to the Earthly Branch of chen 辰, which is mutually exclusive with xu 戌
  • Avoid wearing any jewellery that is shaped like a dog

a poodle is all dressed up in necklaces and sunglasses

Don't get a puppy in the Year of the Dragon, no dog-shaped jewellery. Photo: AdobeStock

  • Avoid getting a new puppy
  • Avoid collaborating with or marrying people who were born in the Year of the Dog
  • Avoid collaborating with or marrying people who were born in the Year of the Tiger, because a competitive conflict can easily arise between the Dragon and the Tiger, known in Chinese as longhu dou 龍虎鬥, making collaboration or marriage difficult

Auspicious practices for 2024 Year of the Dragon: Wear yellow, decorate with blue

In Chinese astrology, every zodiac sign is associated with a lucky colour that can impact an individual’s prosperity and fortune. For those born in the Year of the Dragon in 2024, the auspicious colour is gold, which signifies success, wealth and honour. Gold is believed to possess strong positive energy and symbolises the sun and metal. It is considered a symbol of royalty, nobility and wealth, thus making it one of the most auspicious colours for the Dragon.

Yellow is also an auspicious colour for Earth, representing wealth, solidity and stability. Wearing yellow clothes or accessories and using yellow decorations in the home can help increase one’s luck in 2024. Yellow is linked with wealth and money and is one of the auspicious colours for the Dragon. Wearing yellow or using it in decorations can enhance connections and wealth, particularly for those who are starting a business or developing their careers.

Wear yellow in the Year of the Dragon 2024

Finally, blue is an auspicious colour for Water, representing youth, freshness, vitality and wisdom. Dragon individuals can choose to wear blue clothes and accessories or use blue decorations in their homes to enhance their personal aura and auspicious luck in 2024. Blue is considered a vibrant and energetic colour and is also one of the auspicious colours for the Dragon.

Associate Professor  Xiaohuan Zhao  is an expert in Chinese Literary and Theatre Studies in the  School of Languages of Culture . He is also a member of the  China Studies Centre  and  Sydney Southeast Asia Centre . His areas of research expertise include Chinese culture, literature and theatre. 

Top image: Adobe Stock/Generated by AI

Associate Professor Xiaohuan Zhao

Related articles, exhibition of chinese miniature treasures used on clothing, lunar new year 2023: what does the year of the rabbit mean, china's anxious frontier: fieldworkers on china's borders in the early twentieth century.

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas impeached by House Republicans

Eric McDaniel

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The House has voted along party lines to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Senate is not expected to convict him or expel him from office. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The House has voted along party lines to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Senate is not expected to convict him or expel him from office.

The House of Representatives has voted 214-213 to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" in enforcing border policy and "breach public trust." Three Republicans voted with all Democrats against the impeachment.

Mayorkas is the first cabinet member to be impeached since William Belknap, secretary of war under President Ulysses S. Grant, in 1876. It is highly unlikely that he will be convicted in the Senate or removed from office.

Mia Ehrenberg, a DHS spokesperson, said in a statement that the impeachment was done "without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds."

"House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border," Ehrenberg said.

The House's successful impeachment vote comes a week after another failed vote on the measure. Three Republicans joined with a unanimous Democratic caucus to block the effort. This time — thanks to the return of Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the House majority leader, following a long absence to seek treatment for blood cancer — they were able to overcome the opposition to pass the impeachment measure.

The effort fulfills a key promise made by House Republican lawmakers to their base voters and underscores the conference's willingness to using their investigative and oversight powers to keep border security and immigration enforcement centerstage heading into the 2024 election season.

The matter now heads to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where lawmakers are widely expected to acquit or otherwise sidestep the charges and allow Mayorkas to remain in his role.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office said House impeachment managers will present the articles of impeachment to the Senate following the state work period. Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside.

In a statement, Schumer called the vote "a new low for House Republicans."

"This sham impeachment effort is another embarrassment for House Republicans," he said. "The one and only reason for this impeachment is for Speaker Johnson to further appease Donald Trump."

Some Republicans in the upper chamber have expressed concerns that Mayorkas' actions do not rise to the "high crimes and misdemeanors" standard set by the Constitution for impeachments and the precedent set by the House Republicans' effort.

In a statement condemning the House vote, President Biden said: "History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games."

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  3. past and present

  4. Simple present tense ( meaning English Grammer )

  5. Past vs present

  6. Present ka matlab kya hota hai|present ka matlab|present meaning in hindi|present in hindi

COMMENTS

  1. Present Definition & Meaning

    present 1 of 4 noun (1) pres· ent ˈpre-zᵊnt Synonyms of present : something presented : gift present 2 of 4 verb pre· sent pri-ˈzent presented; presenting; presents transitive verb 1 : to make a gift to 2 : to give or bestow formally 3 a : to bring (something, such as a play) before the public b (1)

  2. PRESENT

    something that you are given, without asking for it, on a special occasion, especially to show friendship, or to say thank you: a birthday / Christmas / wedding present They gave me theatre tickets as a present. Synonyms gift (PRESENT) offering Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples something that you give

  3. Present

    temporal sense; intermediate between past and future; now existing or happening or in consideration "the present leader" "articles for present use" "the present topic" "the present system" " present observations" synonyms: existing presently existing immediate of the present time and place inst, instant in or of the present month latter-day

  4. PRESENT Definition & Usage Examples

    noun the present time: She has one foot in the present and one foot in the future. Grammar. present tense. presents, Law. the present writings, or this document, used in a deed of conveyance, a lease, etc., to denote the document itself: Know all men by these presents that . . . . Obsolete. the matter in hand. Recommended videos Powered by AnyClip

  5. present_3 verb

    to show or describe something/somebody in a particular way present something The company has decided it must present a more modern image. It is essential that we present a united front (= show that we all agree). present yourself + adv./prep. You need to present yourself better.

  6. PRESENT definition and meaning

    1. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun] You use present to describe things and people that exist now, rather than those that existed in the past or those that may exist in the future. He has brought much of the present crisis on himself. ...the government's present economic difficulties. It has been skilfully renovated by the present owners.

  7. present

    From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ldoce_739_z present pres‧ent 1 / ˈprez ə nt / S2 W2 adjective 1 place [not before noun] in a particular place OPP absent present at/in Foreign observers were present at the elections. the gases present in the Earth's atmosphere 2 memory [not before noun] to be felt strongly or remembered for a long time present in The memory of her brother ...

  8. PRESENT

    noun uk / ˈprez ə nt / us the present B1 the period of time that is happening now: Let's talk about the present. The play is set in the present. A1 the form of the verb which is used to show what happens or exists now More examples A2 [ C ] something that you give to someone, usually for a particular occasion: a birthday / wedding present

  9. Present

    1. Existing or happening now; current: the present leader; present trends. 2. a. Being at hand or in attendance: Thirty guests were present at the ceremony. b. Existing in something specified: Oxygen is present in the bloodstream. 3. Now being considered; actually here or involved: the present subject; present company excepted. 4.

  10. Present Definition & Meaning

    Britannica Dictionary definition of PRESENT. 1. [noncount] : the period of time that exists now : the present time. Past, present, and future are all linked together. — usually used with the. the past, the present, and the future. Let's leave things as they are for the present. We may change them in the future.

  11. present_1 adjective

    actual / current / present actual / current / present. Actual does not mean current or present. It means 'real' or 'exact', and is often used in contrast with something that is not seen as real or exact: I need the actual figures, not an estimate. Present means 'existing or happening now':

  12. present

    pres•ent1 /ˈprɛzənt/ adj. being, existing, or occurring at this time or now; current:[ before a noun] the present economic situation. being actually here or under consideration at this time or place:[ before a noun] the present topic.

  13. Gift vs Present: Is There a Difference?

    Grammar & Usage Commonly Confused We Got You This Article on 'Gift' vs. 'Present' And yes, 'gift' is a verb. What to Know Both gift and present are synonymous when referring to something thoughtfully given, often in recognition of an achievement or holiday. However, gift can be used as an attributive noun, as in gift bag or gift box.

  14. Present tense

    Verbs Present tense Present tense Level: intermediate There are two tenses in English: past and present. The present tense is used to talk about the present and to talk about the future. There are four present tense forms: We can use all these forms: to talk about the present: London is the capital of Britain. He works at McDonald's.

  15. PRESENT Synonyms: 242 Similar and Opposite Words

    Definition of present 1 as in to offer to bring before the public in performance or exhibition we will present a performance of Our Town tomorrow evening Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance offer give stage carry perform show mount display exhibit unveil expose come out with represent render parade play portray show off depict enact act preview

  16. present_2 noun

    a thing that you give to somebody as a gift. What can I get him for a birthday present?; Christmas/wedding presents; I want to give you a little present. as a present He gave her the painting as a present.; present for somebody We have a present for you.; I still need to buy a present for my boyfriend.

  17. italki

    We must be present (to say we are here in a certain place) to witness the presentation (a formal event or a ceremony to give some thing to some one) of the present (a gift) in the presence (refers to another person or group who is also where we are) of our leader; to be presented by the leader's top official. January 12, 2015 0

  18. PRESENT definition in American English

    present in American English. (verb prɪˈzent, noun ˈprezənt) transitive verb. 1. to furnish or endow with a gift or the like, esp. by formal act. to present someone with a gold watch. 2. to bring, offer, or give, often in a formal or ceremonious way. to present one's card.

  19. Present simple

    Present simple and present time. We use the present simple to talk about: something that is true in the present: I'm nineteen years old. I'm a student. He lives in London. something that happens regularly in the present: I play football every weekend. something that is always true:

  20. present

    present (v.). c. 1300, presenten, "bring into the presence of, introduce (someone or something) formally or ceremonially;" also "make a formal presentation of; give as a gift or award; bestow; approach with a gift, bring or lay before one for acceptance," from Old French presenter (11c., Modern French présenter) and directly from Latin praesentare "to place before, show, exhibit," from stem ...

  21. What Is Present Value in Finance, and How Is It Calculated?

    Present Value - PV: Present value (PV) is the current worth of a future sum of money or stream of cash flows given a specified rate of return . Future cash flows are discounted at the discount ...

  22. Tables in Report Writing: Presented or Present?

    It makes sense this is not specifically addressed in the style guides because this really is a simple issue of tense and choice of using a verb or adjective to better convey meaning. Present is one of those maddening English words that can actually be a noun, verb, and adjective. Used as a Verb and Noun: Present is a present tense verb.

  23. PRESENT

    something that you are given, without asking for it, on a special occasion, especially to show friendship, or to say thank you: a birthday / Christmas / wedding present They gave me theater tickets as a present. Synonyms gift (PRESENT) offering Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples something that you give

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