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

In that study, 98 patients interacted with Google's AI before urgent primary care appointments. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026

There are about 2,000 safety-net clinics in California that deliver primary care to underserved populations. — Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Businesses are using new pricing information made available under federal rules to contract directly in some cases with hospitals and other providers and to invest in primary care. — Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

What subscription biomarker testing cannot replace Experts caution that these panels are a supplement, not a substitute, for primary care. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 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