premier

1 of 4

adjective

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 4

noun (1)

: prime minister

premiership

pri-ˈmir-ˌship 

-ˈmyir-, 

-ˈmē-ər-;

ˈprē-ˌmir-, 

-ˌmyir-, 

-ˌmē-ər-, 

ˈpre-

noun

premier

3 of 4

verb

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.

premiership

4 of 4

noun (2)

pre·​mier·​ship pronunciation at premier +ˌship 

: the position or office of a premier

Synonyms of premier

Adjective

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

Examples of premier in a Sentence

Adjective

a space shuttle on its premier voyage

the premier authority on butterflies

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

Outgoing United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer made history as the island nation’s most unpopular premier before his resignation, with an Ipsos poll finding just 13% of voters were satisfied with him, compared to 79% who were unsatisfied. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026

California members of Congress sent a letter to recently sworn-in Québec Premier Christine Fréchette in a bipartisan effort urging the premier to consider reopening trade with the United States. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 8 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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun (2)

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"

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"

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1707, 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