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

Of all the companies who lost employees in the attacks, the one that suffered the most was the premier bond house Cantor Fitzgerald, which lost 658 employees in tower one. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026

Take home Garmin's premier outdoor watch with a massive $250 price drop. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026

Noun

The Grateful Dead became a premier touring act, Lucas taught the country the ways of the Force and Sausalito’s Record Plant became the studio of choice for Sly Stone, Fleetwood Mac and more. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

The classic became one of the premier showcases for Black college football during segregation. — D’joumbarey A. Moreau, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

In 1991, he was tapped to manage the economy as a vice premier and was promoted to premier seven years later. — Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

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

Noun

This year’s premiere should get a strong boost, as most of the country will get CBS coverage of a late afternoon match-up between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, two contenders in the highly competitive NFC North. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

And because everything has to be confusing, the NBC lineup opens with a Wednesday night season premiere. — Takashi Williams, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

His latest is Wild Horse Nine, another odd-couple two-hander which, like its predecessor, just premiered at the Venice Film Festival. — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

Wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin is putting North Carolina under the spotlight in a new TV series premiering nationwide on ABC stations this fall. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Paramount has already greenlit a 13-episode Book 2, the exact premiere date of which will be announced at a later date. — Joe Otterson, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

The stakes are even higher for this year’s Dancing With the Stars contestants with a double elimination during season 35 premiere week. — Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 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