peerage

noun

peer·age | \ ˈpir-ij

How to pronounce peerage (audio)

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Definition of peerage

1 : the body of peers

2 : the rank or dignity of a peer

3 : a book containing a list of peers with their genealogy, history, and titles

Examples of peerage in a Sentence

He was given the peerage after years of devoted service to the community.

Recent Examples on the Web The Torlonia, however, earned their peerage for skills other than martial valor. — Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Review of Books, "Light in the Palazzo," 27 Apr. 2021 The rank of duke is the top title in the British roll of peerage and one that Philip held for more than seven decades. — Washington Post, "Who will be the next Duke of Edinburgh?," 14 Apr. 2021 It is assumed that he or she will be born in the U.S., and also widely believed that this child will not take a title in accordance with the peerage. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Pregnancy Announcement Highlights Their Unique Position on the World Stage," 15 Feb. 2021 There are also more than a thousand baronets, a title associated with country squires that ranks below a baron and is not part of the peerage. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, "Earldoms for Girldom," 14 Nov. 2020 The king granted her the peerage of Countess of Salisbury in her own right, a rare honor for a woman at the time. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "What Margaret Pole, Laura Carmichael’s Character on The Spanish Princess, Was Really Like," 9 Oct. 2020 Subject to a dizzying hierarchy of peerage and obscure jurisdiction, justice eludes him at every opportunity. — Dustin Illingworth, The New Yorker, "“Michael Kohlhaas,” the Book That Made the Novel Modern," 20 May 2020 There, Claflin married a member of the English peerage and became Lady Cook, Viscountess of Montserrat. — Lila Thulin, Smithsonian Magazine, "Nine Women Whose Remarkable Lives Deserve the Biopic Treatment," 7 Feb. 2020 In 1999, Lord Snowdon was awarded life peerage, which gave him the title of baron and secured his seat in the House of Lords until his retirement in 2016. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "Antony Armstrong-Jones Was Much More Than Just Princess Margaret's Husband," 17 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peerage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Peerage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peerage. Accessed 11 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for peerage

peerage

noun

English Language Learners Definition of peerage

formal

: the people who are members of the British nobility : the people who are peers

: the rank of a British peer

See the full definition for peerage in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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