primary care

noun

: health care provided by a medical professional (such as a general practitioner, pediatrician, or nurse) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist

—often used before another noun

a primary care physician

called also primary health care

compare secondary care, tertiary care

Examples of primary care in a Sentence

He provides primary care to inner-city patients.

Recent Examples on the Web

Schleicher was officially diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia on July 28, 2025 – four months after her original visit with her primary care physician. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025

Menopause should be part of routine primary care, not a specialty service that only a few can reach. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025

Despite the referral from his primary care provider, his symptoms, and his mom’s diagnosis, John was deemed too young for insurance to cover the colonoscopy. —Colleen Murphy, Health, 17 Oct. 2025

Some of that is for traditional primary care and brick-and-mortar offices. —Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for primary care

• concessionaire
• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare

Medical Definition

primary care

noun

: health care provided by a medical professional (as a general practitioner or a pediatrician) with whom a patient has initial contact and by whom the patient may be referred to a specialist for further treatment

—often used attributively

primary care physicians

primary care practice

primary care medicine

called also primary health care

compare secondary care, tertiary care