peerage
Americannoun
-
the body of peers of a country or state.
-
the rank or dignity of a peer.
-
a book listing the peers and giving their genealogies.
noun
-
the whole body of peers; aristocracy
-
the position, rank, or title of a peer
-
(esp in the British Isles) a book listing the peers and giving genealogical and other information about them
Etymology
Origin of peerage
First recorded in 1425–75, peerage is from the late Middle English word perage. See peer 2, -age
Explanation
The system of giving people titles like "Lord So-and-So," or "The Duchess of Wherever" is called peerage. The title itself is also referred to as a peerage. In a monarchy like the United Kingdom or Saudi Arabia, a peerage is a legal classification of all the ranks bestowed on the nobility. So if a country has lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses, earls, and countesses, it's the peerage that keeps track of the titles and who holds them. If you're bestowed such a title, you receive a peerage: "My grandmother inherited a peerage when her uncle died, and that's when my family got that castle in Scotland."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The king instructed a government minister to effectively delete Andrew from a document called the Roll of the Peerage, a public record registering nobles in England, Scotland and Ireland.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
The record also confirmed his removal from the Roll of Peerage as the Duke of York, which had also been previously announced.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025
The creator of Peerage is the true center of this documentary and, not to be glib, but their story is a doozy.
From New York Times • May 17, 2023
The film’s primary focus is on the founder of the blog Park Avenue Peerage, who at the time was an Illinois college student, watching the glamorous people from afar.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2023
Exhibiting the Origin, Descent, and Present State of every Title of Peerage which has existed in this Country since the Conquest.
From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex Volume II (1st Edition) by Darwin, Charles
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.
