prime time

noun

1
: the time period when the television or radio audience is the largest
also : television shows shown in prime time
2
: the choicest or busiest time
3
: big time sense 2
a pitcher not yet ready for prime time
prime-time adjective

Examples of prime time in a Sentence

The program is being shown during prime time. He's the best actor in prime time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fox is expecting another record when the team plays its third group stage match in prime time June 25. Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 Two weeks later, a similar presentation was not ready for prime time as commissioners had not yet agreed on a financing structure. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 June 2026 His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit. Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 None went anywhere, as legislative leaders deemed them not ready for prime time. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for prime time

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prime time was in 1947

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Cite this Entry

“Prime time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prime%20time. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

prime time

noun
: the time in the evening when television has its largest number of viewers

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