presentation
Americannoun
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an act of presenting.
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the state of being presented.
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a social introduction, as of a person at court.
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an exhibition or performance, as of a play or film.
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offering, delivering, or bestowal, as of a gift.
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a gift.
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a demonstration, lecture, or welcoming speech.
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a manner or style of speaking, instructing, or putting oneself forward.
His presentation was very poor.
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Commerce. the presentment of a bill, note, or the like.
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Obstetrics.
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the position of the fetus in the uterus during labor.
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the appearance of a particular part of the fetus at the cervix during labor.
a breech presentation.
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Ecclesiastical. the act or the right of presenting a member of the clergy to the bishop for institution to a benefice.
noun
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the act of presenting or state of being presented
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the manner of presenting, esp the organization of visual details to create an overall impression
the presentation of the project is excellent but the content poor
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the method of presenting
his presentation of the facts was muddled
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a verbal report presented with illustrative material, such as slides, graphs, etc
a presentation on the company results
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an offering or bestowal, as of a gift
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( as modifier )
a presentation copy of a book
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a performance or representation, as of a play
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the formal introduction of a person, as into society or at court; debut
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the act or right of nominating a clergyman to a benefice
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med the position of a baby relative to the birth canal at the time of birth
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commerce another word for presentment
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television linking material between programmes, such as announcements, trailers, or weather reports
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an archaic word for gift
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philosophy a sense datum
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(often capital) another name for (feast of) Candlemas
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of presentation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin praesentātiōn-, stem of praesentātiō “exhibition, showing, nomination to a benefice, religious dedication”; equivalent to present 2 + -ation
Explanation
The noun presentation means the official giving, or presenting, of something. The presentation of diplomas at a graduation ceremony is the part that makes many of the parents in the audience cry. A presentation can be a ceremony of giving some gift or award, and it can also be a demonstration or show — like a dog training presentation at your local pet store. Another meaning of presentation is a style of displaying something — like the presentation of plants and flowers in the florist's window or the presentation of food on a buffet table. In the 1600s, presentation was commonly used to mean "show or play," as in "a theatrical presentation."
Vocabulary lists containing presentation
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Common Core Grades 7–8, List 5
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Common Core Grades 9–10, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Former Celtic captain Scott Brown got a huge round of applause as he brought the silverware for the trophy presentation.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Every company presentation touted advancements in the ability to target consumers now that advertising has become the main source of revenue growth in the streaming business.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
Parillo has a startup’s slide presentation to review.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Einhorn speed-talked through a presentation spiced up with cartoons and music clips.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
They created another presentation to give to themselves.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.