prime
of the first importance; demanding the fullest consideration: a prime requisite.
of the greatest relevance or significance: a prime example.
of the highest eminence or rank: the prime authority on Chaucer.
of the greatest commercial value: prime building lots.
first-rate: This ale is prime!
(of meat, especially of beef) noting or pertaining to the first grade or best quality: prime ribs of beef.
first in order of time, existence, or development; earliest; primitive.
basic; fundamental: the prime axioms of his philosophy.
Mathematics. (of any two or more numbers) having no common divisor except unity: The number 2 is prime to 9.
the most flourishing stage or state.
the time of early manhood or womanhood: the prime of youth.
the period or state of greatest perfection or vigor of human life: a man in his prime.
the choicest or best part of anything.
(especially in the grading of U.S. beef) a grade, classification, or designation indicating the highest or most desirable quality.
the beginning or earliest stage of any period.
the spring of the year.
the first hour or period of the day, after sunrise.
Banking. prime rate.
Ecclesiastical. the second of the seven canonical hours or the service for it, originally fixed for the first hour of the day.
Mathematics.
one of the equal parts into which a unit is primarily divided.
the mark (′) indicating such a division: a, a′.
Fencing. the first of eight defensive positions.
Music.
(in a scale) the tonic or keynote.
Linguistics. any basic, indivisible unit used in linguistic analysis.
Metallurgy. a piece of tin plate free from visible defects.
to prepare or make ready for a particular purpose or operation.
to supply (a firearm) with powder for communicating fire to a charge.
to lay a train of powder to (a charge, mine, etc.).
to pour or admit liquid into (a pump) to expel air and prepare for action.
to put fuel into (a carburetor) before starting an engine, in order to insure a sufficiently rich mixture at the start.
to cover (a surface) with a preparatory coat or color, as in painting.
to supply or equip with information, words, etc., for use: The politician was primed by his aides for the press conference.
to harvest the bottom leaves from (a tobacco plant).
(of a boiler) to deliver or discharge steam containing an excessive amount of water.
to harvest the bottom leaves from a tobacco plant.
Origin of prime
1synonym study For prime
Other words for prime
Other words from prime
- primeness, noun
- non·prime, adjective
- re·prime, verb (used with object), re·primed, re·prim·ing.
- self-primed, adjective
- un·primed, adjective
- well-primed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use prime in a sentence
In fact, some future Raptor upgrades could include primes other than Lockheed leading the effort.
America’s Advanced Stealth Jet Flies on 1990s Tech | Dave Majumdar | October 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTKanye West, Kobe Bryant, or Michael Jordan during their primes would have been fine cover stars.
‘People’ Magazine’s Sexiest White Man Alive: Channing Tatum | Tricia Romano | November 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTA shooting primes the public to accept gun laws that they might otherwise feel less strongly about.
If it primes its trading computers' record profits with taxpayer money?
"Fifteen possibles, four Logicals and three Primes—" Beardsley stopped abruptly.
We're Friends, Now | Henry Hasse
It's really, really hard to take any given giant number and figure out which primes multiply together to give you that number.
Little Brother | Cory DoctorowHe now primes and cocks the piece, and assumes a look of what he believes to be most soldier-like severity.
We give an illustration (Fig. 57) of one in Mr. Primes collection.
Pottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876 | Charles Wyllys ElliottIn Fig. 130 are two examples of these, from Mr. Primes collection, which are perfectly painted in the naturalistic way.
Pottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876 | Charles Wyllys Elliott
British Dictionary definitions for prime
/ (praɪm) /
(prenominal) first in quality or value; first-rate
(prenominal) fundamental; original
(prenominal) first in importance, authority, etc; chief
maths
having no factors except itself or one: x² + x + 3 is a prime polynomial
(foll by to) having no common factors (with): 20 is prime to 21
finance having the best credit rating: prime investments
the time when a thing is at its best
a period of power, vigour, etc, usually following youth (esp in the phrase the prime of life)
the beginning of something, such as the spring
maths short for prime number
linguistics a semantically indivisible element; minimal component of the sense of a word
music
unison
the tonic of a scale
mainly RC Church the second of the seven canonical hours of the divine office, originally fixed for the first hour of the day, at sunrise
the first of eight basic positions from which a parry or attack can be made in fencing
to prepare (something); make ready
(tr) to apply a primer, such as paint or size, to (a surface)
(tr) to fill (a pump) with its working fluid before starting, in order to improve the sealing of the pump elements and to expel air from it before starting
(tr) to increase the quantity of fuel in the float chamber of (a carburettor) in order to facilitate the starting of an engine
(tr) to insert a primer into (a gun, mine, charge, etc) preparatory to detonation or firing
(intr) (of a steam engine or boiler) to operate with or produce steam mixed with large amounts of water
(tr) to provide with facts, information, etc, beforehand; brief
Origin of prime
1Derived forms of prime
- primely, adverb
- primeness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with prime
In addition to the idioms beginning with prime
- prime mover
- prime of life
- prime the pump
also see:
- past one's prime
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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