prince

noun

ˈprin(t)s 

1

a

: monarch, king

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

ˈprin(t)s-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms of prince

• tycoon
• magnate
• king
• lord
• monarch
• baron
• lion
• czar

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

When his father became king in 2015, Prince Mohammed was portrayed as impulsive — launching a war in Yemen, dragging the country into tiffs with Canada and Germany, and famously cracking down on fellow princes and billionaires. —Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Nov. 2025

The actor stars alongside Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the Wicked movies as Fiyero, a prince in the fictional land of Oz who comes between Elphaba and Glinda. —Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025

Mamdani was treated like the prince. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025

The crown prince received a letter from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian a day before his visit to the White House this week. —MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

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

Phrases Containing prince

• crown prince
• prince consort
• prince's feather

Rhymes for prince

• mince
• quince
• rinse
• since
• wince
• convince
• evince

Kids Definition

prince

noun

ˈprin(t)s 

1

: monarch sense 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