peer of the realm

American  

noun

plural

peers of the realm

1. any of a class of peers in Great Britain and Ireland entitled by heredity to sit in the House of Lords.

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peer of the realm British  

noun

1. (in Great Britain and Northern Ireland) any member of the nobility entitled to sit in the House of Lords

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Etymology

Origin of peer of the realm

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

He might have been a peer of the realm, but he was a Jewish guy whose family had moved from Odessa to Shoreditch when he was a kid.

From Slate • May 29, 2018

Tall, gaunt and slightly ungainly, in his snakeskin shoes, chunky rings and rakishly well-tailored suits, Cave resembles nothing so much as a postmillennial hybrid of bookie and peer of the realm.

From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2014

It's a moderately interesting history, but watching a peer of the realm tell you about it can't quite compare with the experience of witnessing the slightly corny magic of panto actually happening.

From The Guardian • Dec. 21, 2012

These protesters did not think the princess should be on her way to see some stuffy Chekhov drama by a peer of the realm.

From The Guardian • Jun. 3, 2010

In February Rupert was made a peer of the realm, as Duke of Cumberland and Earl of Holderness, in order that he might sit in the Royalist Parliament now called to Oxford.

From Rupert Prince Palatine by Scott, Eva