prince

noun \ ˈprin(t)s \

Definition of prince

1 a :monarch, king

b :the ruler of a principality or state

2 :a male member of a royal family; especially :a son of the sovereign

3 :a nobleman of varying rank and status

4 :one likened to a prince; especially :a man of high rank or of high standing in his class or profession

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princeship

play \ˈprin(t)s-ˌship\ noun

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See prince defined for kids

Examples of prince in a Sentence

a neighborhood in which the city's merchant princes built palaces that shamelessly celebrated their wealth

Recent Examples of prince from the Web

Since last April, Princes William and Harry have been doing an unprecedented press blitz to honor her legacy: Prince Harry, for example, did a controversial Newsweek interview, and both princes appeared in documentaries by HBO, ITV, and the BBC.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton Pay an Emotional Tribute to Princess Diana," 30 Aug. 2017
To recap, the princes got through their teens and survived their roaring 20s without fatal embarrassments.

— karla adam, Washington Post, "Princes William and Harry are all grown up, and their mother would be proud," 28 Aug. 2017
That, as a moody Danish prince once said, is the question.

— sonia rao, kansascity, "Kids are over fidget spinners. Adults are just getting into them.," 18 Aug. 2017
The idea of talent is [like] living in a society of kings and princes.

— stephen phillips, The Atlantic, "The Average Guy Who Spent 6,003 Hours Trying to Be a Professional Golfer," 11 Aug. 2017
But when the prince answers the clarion call of war, leaving his pregnant bride behind, the devil sees a chance to try to reclaim his prize.

— alissa simon, chicagotribune.com, "'The Girl Without Hands' review: A Grimm fairy tale rendered in watercolor," 10 Aug. 2017
Per the French newspaper Le Figaro, a representative for the Danish royal family announced on Thursday that the prince has decided not to be buried next to his wife.

— hilary weaver, vanityfair.com, "Prince Henrik of Denmark Is Taking His Anger to the Grave," 4 Aug. 2017
The princes will also discuss their family life, as well as Diana's public life and her work to fight homelessness, HIV, and AIDS.

— melissa minton, Glamour, "Prince William and Prince Harry Recall the Last Time They Spoke to Princess Diana," 24 July 2017
MBC is owned by Waleed al-Ibrahim, a Saudi billionaire with kinship ties to the royal family, and his nephew prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "The Fake News That Provoked a Crisis in the Middle East," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prince.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of prince

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin princip-, princeps leader, initiator, from primus first + capere to take — more at heave

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

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prince Synonyms

Synonyms

baron, captain, czar (also tsar or tzar), king, lion, lord, mogul, monarch, Napoleon, magnate, tycoon

Related Words

big boy, big cheese, bigfoot, biggie, big gun, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, fat cat, figure, heavy, heavyweight, honcho, kahuna, main man, mover and shaker, nabob, nawab, notable, personage, pooh-bah (also poo-bah), supremo [chiefly British], VIP; celebrity, personality, star, superstar; deity, demigod, god

Near Antonyms

half-pint, lightweight, small-timer; inferior, subordinate, underling; nobody, nothing, zero

PRINCE Defined for English Language Learners

prince

noun

Definition of prince for English Language Learners

: a male member of a royal family; especially : the son or grandson of a king or queen
: a male ruler or monarch in some countries
: a man who is the best in his class, profession, etc.