as in handbook
a book used for instruction in a subject
a primer of human anatomy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primer
Amazon’s beauty store is filled to the brim with discounts on everything from hydrating night creams to makeup primer for mature skin.
—
Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
After prepping the skin, try using a glowy primer to give the skin a lightly illuminated look.
—Essence, 16 Jan. 2026
According to Bartov, proper skin prep is the true primer—far more important than any makeup product.
—Pooja Shah, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Stroll through the grounds and its immediate surroundings for a primer on the city’s 19th-century architecture, beginning with the neo-Baroque, red-brick Former Hokkaido Government Office two blocks north of the park.
—New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primer
Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
After prepping the skin, try using a glowy primer to give the skin a lightly illuminated look.
—Essence, 16 Jan. 2026
According to Bartov, proper skin prep is the true primer—far more important than any makeup product.
—Pooja Shah, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Stroll through the grounds and its immediate surroundings for a primer on the city’s 19th-century architecture, beginning with the neo-Baroque, red-brick Former Hokkaido Government Office two blocks north of the park.
—New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primer
Noun
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That’s going to impact decision-making beyond anything written in the analytics handbook.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Jan. 2026
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This city’s experience can help write the handbook for other cities and for future disasters.—
Katharine Gammon,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The unfiltered driving experience extends to no power steering, no ABS and a short-throw, five-speed manual gearbox linked to a limited-slip differential.—
Michael Taylor,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Did the instruction manual for assembly look like it could have been ripped out of an astrophysics textbook?—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The role of the smartphone in all of this is a textbook illustration of the concept of moral hazard, or a setup that makes damaging behavior all but inevitable.—
Rand Richards Cooper,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2026
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Two school districts in the Phoenix area are using a textbook that outwardly appears identical — but contains divergent lessons on recent history.—
Alexandra Hardle,
AZCentral.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That campaign was based on a survey that predated Apple’s release of iOS 26, which added both text scam filtering and call filtering to iPhone for the first time.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primer. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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