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

There will also be 24 new exam rooms, tripling the primary care exam space. — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 19 June 2026

With the new facilities, Kaiser plans to expand its primary care services for Folsom residents, according to its presentation. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

And, in those plans, nothing except preventive services and up to three primary care visits are covered before the consumer must meet the new higher deductible amounts, the point at which insurance will kick in. — Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026

The institute will also work with community health care providers and organizations to connect patients with primary care, and coordinate and support care. — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

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