premature

pre·ma·ture | \ ˌprē-mə-ˈchu̇r

, -ˈchər also -ˈtu̇r, -ˈtyu̇r

also ˌpre- \

Definition of premature

: happening, arriving, existing, or performed before the proper, usual, or intended time especially : born after a gestation period of less than 37 weeks premature babies

Other Words from premature Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about premature

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Examples of premature in a Sentence

Her premature death at age 30 stunned her family and friends. Too much exposure to the sun can cause the premature aging of skin.

Recent Examples on the Web Boeing is also studying whether almost 900 horizontal stabilizers made at its Utah fabrication plant have gaps that could cause premature aging in the small wing in the Dreamliner’s tail. — Julie Johnsson, Bloomberg.com, "Boeing, FAA Grapple With a Fourth Dreamliner Production Flaw," 10 Sep. 2020 Moscow, however, seems reluctant to intervene while Belarusians are protesting; on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary told journalists that talk of Lukashenka’s visit was premature. — Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, "Svetlana Alexievich Is Not Going Anywhere," 9 Sep. 2020 Boeing said no Dreamliners currently carrying passengers have accumulated enough flight hours to experience premature aging of their stabilizers. — Doug Cameron And Andy Pasztor, WSJ, "Boeing Flags Additional 787 Production Problem," 8 Sep. 2020 But this is San Francisco, and any obituary for the life of the city is premature. — Carl Nolte, SFChronicle.com, "SF restaurants taking it to the streets to serve diners," 5 Sep. 2020 Those reports turned out to be premature, however, and Big Ten teams remained sidelined since the Aug. 11 decision to shut down fall sports because of concerns over COVID-19. — Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW's Barry Alvarez takes hopeful but cautious stance on the Big Ten playing football in 2020-21," 5 Sep. 2020 This is only to point out the celebration in let-them-play circles of Aug. 12, when the CIAC’s Board of Control overrode a vote by the football committee and moved forward with plans to prepare for a season, was premature. — Mike Anthony, courant.com, "Mike Anthony: A CIAC press conference about nothing was a reminder that there isn’t yet a fall high school sports season to celebrate," 28 Aug. 2020 Putin’s team maintained that such allegations are premature. — Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, "Pompeo backs investigation into apparent poisoning of Putin critic," 25 Aug. 2020 Releasing Louisville Metro Police's investigation into the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor would be premature and could hinder the integrity of the case, an attorney for the department argued Monday in court. — Darcy Costello, The Courier-Journal, "Will Louisville police be forced to release the Breonna Taylor file? What a judge heard," 25 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'premature.' 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

13 Sep 2020

Cite this Entry

“Premature.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/premature. Accessed 24 Sep. 2020.

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More Definitions for premature

premature

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of premature

: happening too soon or earlier than usual

: born before the normal time

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

premature

adjective

pre·ma·ture | \ ˌprē-mə-ˈtu̇r

, -ˈtyu̇r, -ˈchu̇r \

Kids Definition of premature

: happening, coming, or done before the usual or proper time : too early a premature decision premature infants

premature

adjective

pre·ma·ture | \ -mə-ˈt(y)u̇(ə)r, -ˈchu̇(ə)r, chiefly British ˌprem-ə- \

Medical Definition of premature

(Entry 1 of 2)

: happening, arriving, existing, or performed before the proper, usual, or intended time premature puberty premature aging especially : born after a gestation period of less than 37 weeks premature babies

premature

noun

Medical Definition of premature (Entry 2 of 2)

: preemie

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