prince

noun \ ˈprin(t)s \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Examples: prince in a Sentence

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

This has been a very big year for the royal family—a royal engagement, a royal wedding, and the birth of a brand new baby prince.

— rebecca angel baer, Southern Living, "William and Kate Followed This Odd English Tradition at Prince Louis’ Christening," 9 July 2018
Mom Kate stepped out holding little Louis just seven hours after giving birth, giving the world the first glimpse of the new little prince.

— erin hill, PEOPLE.com, "See the Royal Family of 5! Will, Kate, George and Charlotte Arrive at Prince Louis' Christening," 9 July 2018
Before undertaking the official work, Phillips did two preparatory oil sketches of each prince.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "The Palace Releases Never-Before-Seen Paintings of Prince Harry, Prince William, and More British Royals," 2 July 2018
Between each of the stops, Prince William strolled — surrounded by tight security — through the Old City’s colorful bazaar, delighting tourists, who managed to snap quick photos of the affable prince with their smartphones.

— ruth eglash, Washington Post, "Prince William visits Jerusalem’s holy sites, concluding historic visit," 28 June 2018
Getting the worst of the raid on the lorphs is Leilia, who is taken to the invaders’ capital of Mezarte to become the bride of an obnoxious prince.

— deborah young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms': Film Review | Shanghai 2018," 27 June 2018
Another society nose out of joint was that of Astrid Harbord, one of the prince’s oldest friends, who has a reputation for being a party girl but wasn’t at the party of the decade.

— katie nicholl, Vanities, "Some of Prince Harry’s Old Friends Were “a Bit Surprised” to Not Be Invited to the Evening Wedding Reception," 21 May 2018
Kate's occupation is princess, by virtue of being the wife of a prince.

— kim fusaro, Glamour, "What Is Meghan Markle's Royal Title Going to Be?," 17 May 2018
And when her story comes to a close, the princess gets to live happily ever after, often in a big castle in the company of a handsome prince.

— karla peterson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why Meghan Markle makes the royal wedding a fairy tale women can love," 17 May 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.