premier

1 of 6

adjective (1)

pre·​mier pri-ˈmir 

-ˈmyir, 

-ˈmē-ər;

ˈprē-ˌmir 

-ˌmyir, 

-ˌmē-ər, 

ˈpre-

1

: first in position, rank, or importance

the city's premier restaurant

2

: first in time : earliest

premier

2 of 6

noun (1)

: prime minister

premiership

pri-ˈmir-ˌship 

-ˈmyir-, 

-ˈmē-ər-;

ˈprē-ˌmir-, 

-ˌmyir-, 

-ˌmē-ər-, 

ˈpre-

noun

premier

3 of 6

verb (1)

pre·​mier

less common spelling of premiere entry 2

intransitive verb

1

: to have a first public performance

The movie/play will premiere next week.

2

: to appear for the first time as a star performer

He premiered in the title role on Broadway.

transitive verb

: to give a first public performance of

The movie was premiered at the film festival.

premiere

4 of 6

noun (2)

pre·​miere pri-ˈmyer  -ˈmir 

-ˈmē-ər;

ˌpri-mē-ˈer

variants or less commonly première

plural premieres also premières

1

: a first performance or exhibition

the premiere of a play

the show's premiere episode

2

: the chief actress of a theatrical cast

premiere

5 of 6

verb (2)

pre·​miere pri-ˈmyer  -ˈmir 

-ˈmē-ər;

ˌpri-mē-ˈer

variants or less commonly première or premier

premiered also premièred; premiering also premièring

intransitive verb

1

: to have a first public performance

The movie/play will premiere next week.

2

: to appear for the first time as a star performer

He premiered in the title role on Broadway.

transitive verb

: to give a first public performance of

The movie was premiered at the film festival.

premiere

6 of 6

adjective (2)

pre·​miere pri-ˈmyer  -ˈmir 

-ˈmē-ər;

ˌpri-mē-ˈer

: premier

In addition to the sporting events, Lillehammer also offers one of Norway's premiere cultural sites in the Maihaugen Open Air Museum …

—William E. Schmidt

Synonyms of premier

Adjective (1)

• first
• initial
• foremost
• inaugural
• original
• earliest
• maiden
• pioneer

Examples of premier in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

a space shuttle on its premier voyage

the premier authority on butterflies

Noun (2)

The movie will have its premiere next week.

Verb (2)

The movie premieres next week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And so far, Team Norway—nicknamed the Vikings—has performed quite well in its first appearance in the World Cup—soccer’s premier competition—since 1998. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Roughly 20 nations have dispatched their premier tall ships to participate in the celebration, with vessels arriving from as far away as Italy, India, Peru, Poland, Spain and Sweden. — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026

Noun

Its logo is widely visible atop a 52-story skyscraper on Figueroa Street in downtown’s financial district, but PwC’s lease there expires in 2028 and the firm has agreed to move that year to a premier building in Century City. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Amerant Bank Arena retired the ice for hardwood Sunday afternoon, playing host to BIG3, the premier global 3-on-3 basketball league. — Ava Dicecca, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026

Verb

However, it is expected to premier in the fall of 2026. — Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

Slated to premier in 2026, Bachelor Mansion Takeover enlists 12 former Bachelor, Bachelorette, Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette contestants to help transform the series' iconic California property — and PEOPLE got an exclusive first look at the cast list! — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025

Noun

Big Brother fans were treated to not one but three appearances by former CBS reality stars in the season premiere July 9, but one made an unexpected exit by falling into an erupting volcano. — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 11 July 2026

Grant reflects on the premiere, which kicked off with a troupe of Polynesian dancers onstage at the Hollywood Bowl. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 11 July 2026

Verb

There are also exciting new additions, including Season 2 of The Undeclared War, and Season 3 of The Ark, scheduled to premiere on July 30, 2026. — Paul Brett, Space.com, 10 July 2026

Season 28 officially premiered on Thursday, July 9, and there’s plenty more drama to come. — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Adjective

After premiere week, new episodes drop every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, while Unlocked airs Fridays. — Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026

Sources tell Variety that programmers at each of the fall festivals — Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York — are circling the title, though a premiere venue has yet to be set. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English primer, primier "first in time, first in rank, foremost," borrowed from Anglo-French primer, premer, premyer "first, earliest, most important" (continental Old & Middle French primier, premier), going back to Latin prīmārius "of the highest importance or station (of persons), first-rate, chief" — more at primary entry 1

Note: Since its adoption in late Middle English, this word has shown influence in both pronunciation and spelling from Middle French and French premier.

Noun (1)

short for premier minister, after French premier ministre "first minister"

Noun (2)

(sense 1) borrowed from French première, short for première représentation "first performance"; (sense 2) probably noun derivative of premiere entry 3

Verb (2)

verb derivative of premiere entry 1

Adjective (2)

alteration of premier entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1707, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1927, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Adjective (2)

1768, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing premier

• premier danseur

Rhymes for premier

• adhere
• ameer
• amir
• appear
• arrear
• astir
• austere
• career
• cashier
• cohere
• compere
• emir

Kids Definition

premier

1 of 2 adjective

pre·​mier pri-ˈm(y)i(ə)r  ˈprē-mē-ər 

ˈprem-ē-

1

: first in position, rank, or importance : principal

2

: first in time : earliest

premier

2 of 2 noun

: the chief minister of government : prime minister

premiership

-ˌship 

noun