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

These findings line up with previous studies that show female doctors generally order more diagnostic tests than male ones, although those results come from looking at primary care data. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 20 July 2026

America’s health care challenges will not be solved by choosing between primary care and specialty care. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 18 July 2026

Anyone whose diarrhea lasts more than two to three days, worsens or is accompanied by signs of dehydration should contact a primary care physician. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

When that doesn’t work, another message is sent through the primary care office. — Demetri Giannikopoulos, Forbes.com, 17 July 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