1 soon; shortly 不久;马上:
I'll be finished presently.我马上就要完成。
2 (written 书面语) after a short time 在短时间之后;过了一会儿;不久:
Presently I heard the car door shut.过了一会儿,我听见车门关上的声音。
3 (especially US 尤为美) now; currently 现在;目前:
The management are presently discussing the matter.管理当局现在正讨论这件事。☞Notice that when presently means ‘soon’ it usually comes at the end of the sentence and when it means ‘after a short time’ it usually comes at the beginning of the sentence. When presently means ‘now’ it goes with the verb. 注意,presently指“马上”时,通常在句末出现;presently指“不久”时,通常在句首出现。presently指“现在”时,则与动词连用。