at present—right now; at this time (of a situation that might be temporary):
- John lives in London, but at present he is on holiday abroad.
in the present—said of a period of time we are living in:
- She thinks the world has always been the way it is now, in the present. She probably thinks that George Washington communicated with Thomas Jefferson by email.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase for the present—for the time being; for now:
- We have enough butter for the present, though we may have to buy some more next week.