1
a
b
: the ruler of a principality or state
2
: a male member of a royal family
especially : a son of the sovereign
3
: a nobleman of varying rank and status
4
: one likened to a prince
especially : a man of high rank or of high standing in his class or profession
princeship noun

Examples of prince in a Sentence

a neighborhood in which the city's merchant princes built palaces that shamelessly celebrated their wealth
Recent Examples on the Web Movies From king to dark prince: Austin Butler and Denis Villeneuve on their new ‘Dune’ villain Feb. 22, 2024 Things change for the mother-son pair, and quickly. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Many saw the prince’s recent return to royal duties as a signal that the prognosis in the Wales household was improving quickly. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 In December 2023, lawyers for Prince Harry argued against the February 2020 decision to remove the prince's automatic right to U.K. police security. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, their 4-year-old son, Prince Archie, was born in the U.K. but also didn't become a prince until after the family had relocated to the U.S. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 The royal source told CNN that the British government was briefed by the foreign office in advance of the prince’s statement and engagements this week. Max Foster, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024 The prince’s tell-all memoir, Spare, showed how fractured their relationship was and exasperated public opinion. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2024 The Saudi foreign minister and other princes issued statements decrying Israel’s actions as war crimes. Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024 Among the prince’s marquee projects is a five-year program that seeks to end homelessness in six towns and cities in Britain. Mark Landler, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prince.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin princip-, princeps leader, initiator, from primus first + capere to take — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of prince was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near prince

Cite this Entry

“Prince.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prince. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prince

noun
1
2
: a son or grandson of a monarch : a male member of a royal family
3
: a nobleman of very high rank
4
: a person of high standing in his class or profession
Etymology

Middle English prince "ruler, king," from early French prince (same meaning), from Latin princip-, princeps "leader, initiator," literally, "one who takes the first part," from primus "first" and capere "to take" — related to prime

More from Merriam-Webster on prince

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