present tense

noun

a verb tense that expresses actions or states at the time of speaking

• Syn: ↑present

• Derivationally related forms: ↑present (for: ↑present)

• Hypernyms: ↑tense

• Hyponyms: ↑historical present

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noun

Etymology: Middle English present tens

: the tense of a verb that expresses action or state in the present time and is used of what occurs or is true at the time of speaking (as in “I am in a hurry” or “he is singing”) and of what is habitual or characteristic (as in “he pays his debts” or “he dresses well”) or is always or necessarily true (as in “the sun shines by day” or “a straight line is the shortest distance”), that is sometimes used to refer to action in the past (as in the historical present), and that is sometimes used for future events (as in “Christmas falls on Friday next year”)

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present tense,

1. the tense that expresses time that is now, either without reference to the duration of the action (“He runs,” sometimes called simple present ) or as being in progress, recurring, or habitual (“He is running,” called present progressive).

2. a verb form in the present tense.

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noun, pl ⋯ tenses [count]

: a verb tense that is used to refer to the present

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ˌpresent ˈtense [present tense] (also the present) noun usually singular (grammar)

the form of a verb that expresses an action that is happening now or at the time of speaking

See also: ↑present