primarily
adverb
pri·mar·i·ly
prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 
also prə-,
chiefly British ˈprī-mə-rə-lē
1
: for the most part : chiefly
has now become primarily a residential town—
S. P. B. Mais
S. P. B. Mais2
: in the first place : originally
Examples of primarily in a Sentence
the university was primarily an agricultural college when it was founded over two centuries ago
ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes
Recent Examples on the Web
That fall, the installation was a centerpiece in a selection of Viola’s installations and single-channel videotapes that became the first major exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art to feature an artist who worked primarily with the mediums of video and sound.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Martin works primarily, though not exclusively, with glass, metal and found objects.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 12 July 2024
The data, which was accessed from Snowflake, consisted primarily of call and text records between May 2022 and October 2022, according to AT & T. Snowflake shares fell around 1.8%.
—Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for primarily 
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Martin works primarily, though not exclusively, with glass, metal and found objects.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 12 July 2024
The data, which was accessed from Snowflake, consisted primarily of call and text records between May 2022 and October 2022, according to AT & T. Snowflake shares fell around 1.8%.
—Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for primarily
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'primarily.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near primarily
Cite this Entry
“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primarily. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
primarily
adverb
pri·mar·i·ly
prī-ˈmer-ə-lē
1
: for the most part : chiefly
2
: in the first place : originally
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share