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peer of the realm

American

noun

plural

peers of the realm

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

peer of the realm British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of peer of the realm

First recorded in 1585–95

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.

“You read me a lesson? I? A peer of the realm? And you, from the place where you come from?”

From The Guardian • Feb. 22, 2020

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

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

"Done!" shouted a mustachioed peer of the realm, in a barouche by his side.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 21 by Leighton, Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023