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The Religious History of Incumbent
When incumbent was first used in English in the 15th century, it referred to someone who occupied a benefice—a paid position in a church. This was often a lifetime appointment; the person could only be forced to leave the office in the case of certain specific legal conflicts. In the mid-17th century, incumbent came to refer to anyone holding any office, including elected positions. In the modern American political system, incumbent typically refers to someone who is the current holder of a position during an election for that position. The word also functions as an adjective with its most common meanings being "occupying a specified office" ("the incumbent mayor") and "obligatory" ("it is incumbent upon us to help"). Incumbent came to English through Anglo-French and derives from the Latin incumbere, meaning "to lie down on."
Synonyms
Examples of incumbent in a Sentence
Terry McCarthy, Time, 20 Dec. 2004
When Reagan and Clinton were seeking re-election, they didn't go after their opponents directly, in part because they didn't have to. Those incumbents knew that there's a point at which strong and tough can look weak and desperate.
—Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, 9 Aug. 2004
Jane Austen was born into the downwardly mobile branch of an upper-middle-class family. … None of the Austen children could inherit the family home from their father, a Church of England clergyman; after his death it would go to the next incumbent.
—Kevin Barry, New York Times Book Review, 7 Dec. 1997
Voters will have the chance to see the incumbent and her opponent in a series of three debates.
Incumbents often have an advantage in elections.
Adjective
It is incumbent upon the press to act not in its own best interests, but in society's best interests.
—Carll Tucker, Saturday Review, 23 June 1979
… the various types of obligation incumbent on the members of the profession.
—R. M. MacIver, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, January 1955
… Mr. Lorry felt it incumbent on him to speak a word or two of reassurance.
—Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859
it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting
Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The indictment issued in August by a Fulton County grand jury accused Trump and 18 others of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia after the Republican incumbent narrowly lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 5 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for incumbent 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incumbent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun and Adjective
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin incumbent-, incumbens, present participle of incumbere to lie down on, from in- + -cumbere to lie down; akin to cubare to lie
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing incumbent
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Dictionary Entries Near incumbent
Cite this Entry
“Incumbent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incumbent. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
incumbent
1 of 2 noun
incumbent
2 of 2 adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on incumbent
Nglish: Translation of incumbent for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of incumbent for Arabic Speakers
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