as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in officeholder
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of incumbent
Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2025
Voters ended up kicking out several incumbents in November in favor of new faces.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 16 July 2025
Trump appears to snub Adams, Sliwa Trump notably did not mention incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, or Curtis Sliwa, the nominee representing Trump's Republican party.
—James Powel, USA Today, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Adjective
Lyles was first elected mayor in 2017, ousting a Democratic incumbent, after four years on the Charlotte City Council.
—Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2025
Voters ended up kicking out several incumbents in November in favor of new faces.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2025
Noun
Mamdani is also set to face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 16 July 2025
Trump appears to snub Adams, Sliwa Trump notably did not mention incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, or Curtis Sliwa, the nominee representing Trump's Republican party.
—James Powel, USA Today, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incumbent
Adjective
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For example, Department of Education regulators are tasked with determining what subjects private institutions are teaching and if their curriculum adheres to compulsory education standards.—
Adina Mermelstein Konikoff,
New York Daily News,
22 July 2025
-
Written as the compulsory number for the middle school division of the 92nd NHK All-Japan School Choir Competition, the song launched with 26,388 downloads to hit No. 1 for metric, while coming in at No. 16 for streaming, No. 15 for video, and No. 56 for radio.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
17 July 2025
Noun
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The primary election isn’t until Aug. 4, 2026, but 11 candidates have filed to run so far — from ambitious statewide officeholders to prominent lawmakers, former officials and entrepreneurs.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
21 July 2025
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Besides the Larson race, challengers are stepping forward against Connecticut’s longtime officeholders across the state with less than 16 months from Election Day.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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The 31-year-old is a true holding midfielder, offering assurance in playing out from the back and moving the ball through the thirds at the required tempo.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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But he still has not been confirmed by the Senate, a required step to take on the role permanently (typically, U.S. attorneys serve through a president's time in office).—
Lucas Aulbach,
The Courier-Journal,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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So why haven’t more cities made curbside composting easier, or even mandatory? Curbside Composting Is Growing, But Access Lags California and Vermont are the only two states that currently mandate some form of household curbside composting access; Washington state’s law becomes effective in 2030.—
Heather Wishart-Smith,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Pakistan now faces a mandatory review — a final phase requiring endorsement from key FATF members.—
Jack Rosen,
New York Daily News,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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The data needs to be accessible and running in sync across necessary components within the system, not operating in a silo.—
Lori Schafer,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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The Trump administration argued the deployment was necessary to deal with chaotic protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests.—
July 15,
CBS News,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incumbent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incumbent. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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