as in stars
the person who has the most important role in a play, movie, or TV show
my cousin is one of the principals in a new sitcom this fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of principals
Unlike many family office principals, Lazarian does not invest for the long term, aiming to flip properties in two to three years.
—
Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
Teachers, principals, even local boards of education now must simply do what they’re told.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2026
Cassellius said these employees, who have teaching licenses, have had different duties in each school depending on their principals' orders.
—Rory Linnane, jsonline.com, 25 Mar. 2026
The Deputies Committee reviews plans and assesses options, usually presenting a recommendation to the principals, including the president.
—Gregory F. Treverton, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
The group ventriloquized the voices of authority—parents, school principals, cops, military officers, judges, politicians, newscasters, Soviet apparatchiks—and turned them into expressions of mass insanity.
—Andrew Katzenstein, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
The other union participating in the rally was Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, which represents about 3,000 principals, assistant principals and middle managers.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
There have been, of course, changes along the way, innovations, failures, troubles, new formats, frequency of publication from weekly to monthly, and joys, many of them captured in this issue’s lively conversation among the four principals.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Yet only 56% are principals and 27% superintendents.
—Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
Teachers, principals, even local boards of education now must simply do what they’re told.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2026
Cassellius said these employees, who have teaching licenses, have had different duties in each school depending on their principals' orders.
—Rory Linnane, jsonline.com, 25 Mar. 2026
The Deputies Committee reviews plans and assesses options, usually presenting a recommendation to the principals, including the president.
—Gregory F. Treverton, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
The group ventriloquized the voices of authority—parents, school principals, cops, military officers, judges, politicians, newscasters, Soviet apparatchiks—and turned them into expressions of mass insanity.
—Andrew Katzenstein, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
The other union participating in the rally was Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, which represents about 3,000 principals, assistant principals and middle managers.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
There have been, of course, changes along the way, innovations, failures, troubles, new formats, frequency of publication from weekly to monthly, and joys, many of them captured in this issue’s lively conversation among the four principals.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Yet only 56% are principals and 27% superintendents.
—Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principals
stars
Noun
-
Even if giant, enormous voids with no stars and galaxies in them at all did exist, this structure couldn’t possibly be one of those.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The former’s Grand Luxe iteration will appear on the 950 Platinum-Gold model in the collection, which offers up that base in 18-karat Sedna Gold alongside a Constellation medallion in 18-karat white gold with an Observatory dome done in white opal enamel surrounded by stars.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Principals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principals. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
