presently
/ˈprɛz(ə)ntli
/adverb
1At the present time; now: there are presently 1,128 people on the waiting list...
- Mr Parrott said he hopes the new building will be open soon as presently the group has nowhere regular to meet.
- Steve Finn, a seasoned television director, is presently working on his feature debut.
- Most of the directors are presently siding with Georgine in covering up the report.
Synonyms
at present, currently, at the/this moment, at the present moment/time, now, nowadays, these days, today, in this day and age
British informal at the minute
2After a short time; soon: this will be examined in more detail presently...
- I was soon lost in my thoughts again, and presently fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
- I intend to deal in some greater detail with the decision of the Supreme Court presently.
- The computer this is being typed on will presently be packed into its shipping box, stuck in a truck for several days, and then a garage for a month.
Synonyms
soon, shortly, directly, quite soon, in a short time, in a short/little while, at any moment/minute/second, in a moment/minute/second, in less than no time (at all), in next to no time, before long, by and by;
North American momentarily;
South African just now
informal pretty soon, any moment now, before you know it, before you can say Jack Robinson, in a jiffy, in two shakes of a lamb's tail
British informal in a mo
archaic or informal anon
literary ere long
Usage
Presently can mean both ‘now, at this moment’ and ‘soon’. Both senses go back to the Middle Ages. The former sense fell into disfavour between the 17th and 20th centuries and some traditionalists still object to it, but it is widely used and generally regarded as acceptable standard English.