prince

noun \ ˈprin(t)s \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

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

See prince defined for English-language learners

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

Not because Markle is an American and a commoner, marrying a prince now sixth in line for the throne.

— karla adam, Washington Post, "How the Church of England has evolved on divorce, from Henry VIII to Meghan Markle," 15 May 2018
The Queen went with tradition to marry a fellow blue-blood in Philip (a Greek and Danish prince) but Prince Charles married outside royalty to aristocrats.

— max foster, CNN, "How Meghan Markle will use her royal voice," 14 May 2018
Harry is a modern prince marrying an actress with an interest in international politics, a skill set far more valuable than anything found on a family tree.

— mary mcnamara, latimes.com, "When Harry Met Meghan: The royal wedding is the perfect Hollywood ending for a very Hollywood story," 11 May 2018
There was never a truer political prince than Rostenkowski.

— gregory pratt, chicagotribune.com, "JFK inaugural address on vinyl, 1890s Illinois map, Mickey Mouse jacket for grabs at former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski estate sale," 27 Apr. 2018
On Monday, the entire world watched as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her third child, a little prince.

— maggie maloney, Town & Country, "Queen Elizabeth Was Spotted on Horseback the Day the Royal Baby Arrived," 25 Apr. 2018
Now the topic of women and money makes regular headlines (see: Ellen Pompeo opening up about her record-setting salary, and the head-slapping news that a woman who played a queen, Claire Foy, got paid less than the man playing a prince).

— Glamour, "Deep, Dark Money Secrets From 1,000 Women," 23 Apr. 2018
Similarly, a lintel uncovered during the excavation explores the lineage of another woman of high rank, Adatalabe, who counts a royal prince among her blood line.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Large Cache of Texts May Offer Insight Into One of Africa’s Oldest Written Languages," 13 Apr. 2018
Pink has made Belle a bookworm whose intelligence and imagination give her the strength to cope with Beast — a prince turned monstrous by an enchantress' spell as punishment for his coldheartedness.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Ballet offers a family-friendly 'Beauty and the Beast'," 9 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

prince Synonyms

Synonyms

baron, captain, czar (also tsar), king, lion, lord, magnate, mogul, monarch, tycoon;

Near Antonyms

lightweight, small-timer;

inferior, subordinate, underling;

nobody, nothing, zero;

celebrity, personality, star, superstar;

deity, demigod, god;

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.