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

Sleep problems Men can ask their primary care doctors to perform a blood test to check their testosterone levels, Munger advised. —Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025

Of the 17,535 visits made to Maine Family Planning’s 18 health centers and mobile medical unit in 2024, 13% were for primary care services, Hill said. —CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025

Her primary care doctor is there, too. —Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025

She was later referred by her primary care doctor in Columbia. —Charlotte Observer, 2 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