prime
noun
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Definition of prime
(Entry 1 of 3)
prime
adjectiveDefinition of prime (Entry 2 of 3)
prime
verbDefinition of prime (Entry 3 of 3)
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Synonyms for prime
Synonyms: Noun
bloom, blossom, florescence, floruit, flower, flush, heyday, high noon, salad days, springtime
Synonyms: Adjective
chief, commanding, first, foremost, head, high, lead, leading, preeminent, premier, presiding, primary, principal, supereminent, supreme, top
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Examples of prime in a Sentence
Noun
young college graduates in the prime of life The interest rate is two percent plus prime.Adjective
The wine industry is of prime importance to the California economy. The police have not yet named the prime suspect in the murder investigation. The house is expensive because it's in a prime location.Verb
She was obviously primed for the questions at the press conference. Both teams are primed for battle and ready to play. We sanded and primed the woodwork before painting.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The Grand National is a prime stepping stone to the $100,000 Hunt Cup, which will be run next Saturday in Glyndon. — Sun Staff Reports, baltimoresun.com, "Senior Senator repeats as Grand National steeplechase champion," 21 Apr. 2018 That all led to wondering if the Seahawks were wasting the prime of an elite quarterback, one whose own longterm future is hardly settled with a contract that runs out following the 2019 season. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "Analysis: Three reasons why the Seahawks may be turning a corner," 23 Oct. 2018 While Ellis-Ross posts her share of poolside snapshots and updates from far-flung destinations, her feed is a refreshing look at a woman enjoying the prime of her life. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Tracee Ellis Ross Is Living Her Best Life On and Off Instagram," 1 Aug. 2018 Among the civic emotions, outrage is a beast of the prime; to harness outrage is to discover fire. — Lance Morrow, WSJ, "America Is Addicted to Outrage. Is There a Cure?," 30 Nov. 2018 Critics would howl that the ownership group was out of touch, that the team wasted two or three years of Antetokounmpo’s prime on a publicity stunt. — Gary D'amato, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "D'Amato: Time not right for Becky Hammon to coach Bucks," 11 May 2018 There are a lot of great superstars in their primes in the American League right now, and Trout's selection here is no mark against the likes of Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. — Ted Berg, USA TODAY, "Picking every MLB division and award for 2018," 27 Mar. 2018 Elliott, who rushed for 983 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing six games because of a suspension in his second season, is about to hit the prime of his career, Tomlinson said. — Stefan Stevenson, star-telegram, "Ezekiel Elliott has some work to do, this Hall of Famer says. "I think he understands what he means to the Dallas Cowboys." | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 19 May 2018 The efficiency of the Venetian stroke allows gondoliers to continue rowing beyond their athletic prime. — Jillian Berman, WSJ, "A Model Gondolier With a Relentless Regimen," 20 Oct. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
And Hyde secured a prime location, in Southeast Portland’s vibrant Buckman neighborhood, across the intersection from popular Revolution Hall. — oregonlive.com, "West Coast Grocery fights to right ship after rough launch: Portland Breweries Series," 7 June 2019 Vila Guará Boasting a prime beach-side location, Vila Guará has accommodations alongside a fancy restaurant/bar. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "An Insider’s Guide to Atins, a Hidden Paradise on the Northeast Coast of Brazil," 18 Jan. 2019 For those who are upset about the sculpture loosing its prime location, no need to worry. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Tourist magnet ‘I Amsterdam’ sign has been removed," 6 Dec. 2018 Located on Maui’s sunny West Side, just north of Lahaina, Kaanapali is one of the island’s prime locations. — The Seattle Times, "Winter getaway: Stay and play in Kaanapali, Maui," 15 Aug. 2018 But efforts to restrict tourists’ access from certain prime locations have done little to keep visitors at bay. — Ryan Faughnder, latimes.com, "Warner Bros. wants to build a $100-million aerial tramway to the Hollywood sign," 10 July 2018 The prime location atop the Fox River provides a scenic backdrop and a cultural link to the nearby Paramount Theater that draws top-flight national touring productions of top Broadway shows. — Patrick Z. Mcgavin, Aurora Beacon-News, "Guide to outdoor dining in Chicago suburbs: Endiro Coffee in Aurora," 6 July 2018 But a dramatic overall shift in class in rental offerings, resort-like amenities and prime location make these luxury pricepoints viable ones, Reed told me. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "The new Main & Clay luxury apartments offer spectacular views," 27 June 2018 Truckers, recreational vehicle enthusiasts, and others view parking spaces as prime locations to find rest. — J.d. Gallop, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Nearly half a dozen people have died in Walmart parking lots in Brevard County since 2015," 24 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
To prime the pump closer to home, two leading scholars on the issue are going to hash it out in Steamboat this summer. — Nic Garcia, The Denver Post, "The Spot: What the heck does “local control” even mean?," 6 June 2019 As public outcry mounts over companies like Facebook collecting and selling user information, the new proposal would prime courts and legislatures to give businesses even more power to extract data from unwitting consumers. — Ian Macdougall, ProPublica, "Soon You May Not Even Have to Click on a Website Contract to Be Bound by Its Terms," 20 May 2019 Some of these mutations made the bacteria resistant to antibiotics, suggesting that exposure to a low dose of one antibiotic could prime bacteria to evolve resistance to other antibiotics as well. — Quanta Magazine, "Under Pressure, Does Evolution Evolve?," 15 Jan. 2014 Going for prolonged periods without eating can also prime you to overeat, creating a cycle that’s difficult to get out of because fasting can mess with our body’s hunger cues and metabolism. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "What Is the 5:2 Diet, Jimmy Kimmel's Intense Weight-Loss Method?," 13 May 2019 This is what leads to a spiral into fear, isolation, and shame — feelings that prime us for depression, anxiety, and weight-cycling. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "Willpower Is a Weight-Loss Scam That's Fueling the Diet Industry," 22 Feb. 2019 In a Spectre attack, the attacker will try to prime the processor to predict a certain way and then use that misprediction to leak information. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Spectre, Meltdown researchers unveil 7 more speculative execution attacks," 14 Nov. 2018 Who Hofmann decides to prime the network with could set the tone. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "Byte’s creator culture will make or break Vine 2," 18 Dec. 2018 The previous speed record-holder—at least for ants—is the trap-jaw ant, which uses a combination of highly specialized muscles to prime its jaw before using a different set to snap it shut at speeds around 50 miles per hour. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "The Dracula Ant's Lightning Mandibles Make It the Fastest Animal in the World," 12 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prime.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for prime
prime
nounFinancial Definition of prime
What It Is
In the finance world, prime is short for prime rate, which is the interest rate commercial banks charge their most creditworthy customers, which are usually corporations.
How It Works
Anyone who has borrowed money knows that different banks charge different interest rates. So when people refer to the prime rate, they are usually referring to the average prime rate among banks. The Wall Street Journal is the most common source for this statistic. It calculates the average prime rate by surveying the 30 largest banks in the U.S. Below is a sample graph of the historical average prime rate published by the Federal Reserve, which surveys 25 banks across the nation.
In general, the rate is the same among nearly all the surveyed banks, and they tend to change their rates at the same time. When 75% of these banks (23 banks) change their rates, The Wall Street Journal changes its average.
Why It Matters
Prime is one of the most widely used market indicators, albeit a lagging one, and it is a major benchmark for mortgage and credit card rates. It is often the basis for adjustable-rate loans. For example, if a bank is offering a home equity loan at “prime plus 5” and its prime rate is 6%, then the bank is essentially offering borrowers an 11% loan (6% + 5%) whose interest rate will fluctuate with the prime rate. It is important to remember that not everyone qualifies for prime -- this rate is only for customers least likely to default.
Source: Investing Answers
prime
noun
English Language Learners Definition of prime
(Entry 1 of 3)
prime
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of prime (Entry 2 of 3)
prime
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of prime (Entry 3 of 3)
See the full definition for prime in the English Language Learners Dictionary
prime
noun
\
Kids Definition of prime
(Entry 1 of 3)
prime
adjectiveKids Definition of prime (Entry 2 of 3)
prime
verbKids Definition of prime (Entry 3 of 3)
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prime
nounLegal Definition of prime
(Entry 1 of 2)
prime
transitive verbLegal Definition of prime (Entry 2 of 2)
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