a nonreigning male member of a royal family.
History/Historical. a sovereign or monarch; king.
(in Great Britain) a son or grandson (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.
the English equivalent of any of various titles of nobility in other countries.
a holder of such a title.
the ruler of a small state, as one actually or nominally subordinate to a suzerain.
Monaco is ruled by a prince.
a person or thing that is chief or preeminent in any class, group, etc..
a merchant prince.
a person possessing admirably fine and genial characteristics.
He is a prince of a man.
Harold S(mith) Hal, 1928–2019, U.S. stage director and producer.
Prince Rogers Nelson, 1958–2016, U.S. singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
a male given name.
(in Britain) a son of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons
a nonreigning male member of a sovereign family
the monarch of a small territory, such as Monaco, usually called a principality, that was at some time subordinate to an emperor or king
any sovereign; monarch
a nobleman in various countries, such as Italy and Germany
an outstanding member of a specified group
a merchant prince
informal a generous and charming man
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Latin prīncip- (stem of prīnceps ) first, principal (adj.), principal person, leader (noun), equivalent to prīn- for prīmus prime + -cep- (combining form of capere to take) + -s nominative singular ending
A prince is royalty, the son of a king or queen. Originally, a prince was the ruler of and individual territory, also known as “principalities.” A prince is a popular fairy tale hero, but there are real live ones, too. A prince is the son of a monarch, possibly even the person who stands to inherit the title of king after his father's death. Sometimes, though, a prince is simply a member of the royal family, or even a ruler over a small area of the monarch's country. Prince comes from the Latin princeps, "first man" or "ruler," from primus, "first." A prince is often first in line to inherit the throne.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Mozart’s opera, Tamino, a prince in a fairyland of mystic temples and mystifying gods, relies on his supernatural flute that turn sorrow into joy to get him out of jams.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
As imagined by director Travis Knight—best known for another toys-to-screen saga, 2018’s “Transformers” sequel “Bumblebee”—and a battalion of screenwriters, the new He-Man, lost prince from the planet Eternia, is a meek cubicle dweller named Adam.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
The 42-year-old rose to millennial fame as the dark prince of “The Hills,” playing the love interest of his now-wife, Heidi Montag.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
During his first term, China feted him like a favorite prince with various ceremonies: a private tour of the Forbidden City, followed by a performance by the Peking Opera and a huge state dinner.
From Salon • May 14, 2026
Jack noticed with more than a little annoyance that the prince landed on the rising vine absolutely perfectly, as if he did this sort of thing every day.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
