premier

American  

[pri-meer, -myeer, pree-meer] / prɪˈmɪər, -ˈmjɪər, ˈpri mɪər /

noun

• premiers
  plural

1. the head of the cabinet in France or Italy or certain other countries; first minister; prime minister.

2. a chief officer.

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adjective

1. first in rank; chief; leading.

2. first in time; earliest; oldest.

premier British  

/ ˈprɛmjə /

noun

1. another name for prime minister

2. any of the heads of governments of the Canadian provinces and the Australian states

3. (plural) the winners of a premiership

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adjective

1. first in importance, rank, etc

2. first in occurrence; earliest

premier Cultural  

1. The head of government in many nations. A premier's position is usually the same as that of a prime minister. The chiefs of government of the provinces of Canada are called premiers.

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Usage

What does premier mean? Premier is used to refer to the head of the government of certain countries, equivalent to a prime minister, as in The premier of France gave a speech today. Premier can also mean that something is highest in rank or is chief among a group, as in NASA is the premier authority on American spaceflight. Alternatively, premier can mean that something occurred earliest in time or is the oldest, as in The director has come a long way since the inexperience she showed during her premier film. The government position that a premier holds is referred to as a premiership, as in The popular premier restored a sense of respect and authority to the premiership. The word premier can be easily confused with the word premiere, which is often pronounced exactly the same. Premiere refers to the first public showing or display of something, as in The museum announced the premiere of a new dinosaur exhibit scheduled for later this month. Notably, premiere is used as a verb while premier is not. Example: The Italian premier met with the leaders of many other nations during the conference. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• premiership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• premiers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of premier

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English primer, primier, premer (adjective), from Anglo-French primer, premer and Middle French premier, primier, literally, “first,” from Latin prīmārius “of the first rank”; see primary

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Explanation

Premier is another way of saying “first” or “best” like the premier ice cream store on the block that always has a line snaking around the corner. In a political sense a premier is a head of state. As adjective or noun, this word has to do with whatever’s first and foremost. Leaders of countries are often called premiers, since they’re the first, most important people in government — like how we call the President's wife the “First Lady.” If you’re referring to something that started first, is the best, or is the head of a country, choose premier unless first will do!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

premier premiers

A premier California green transportation initiative is roiled by accusations of fraud, waste and poor oversight.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

The Lions, who play their home matches at Ellis Park, are making their first appearance in Europe's premier club competition, with South African sides introduced into the continental competition in the 2022-23 season.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

After a stint in a Tehran prison, Iran’s judiciary commuted his sentence two years ago, and Zanjani returned to the regime’s service as their premier moneyman, the Journal previously reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Carney said he had spoken Tuesday to Quebec's incoming separatist premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, a 49-year-old lawyer known by his initials, PSPP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

She and staff attorney Kristen Nelson, a Harvard Law grad who had worked at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, the nation's premier public defender office, met with Marsha repeatedly.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Macron built with Starmer the best relationship with any of the five UK premiers he has seen prior to Burnham during almost a decade in office.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Ford was uncharacteristically quiet in public after the Canadian government last week briefed the country’s premiers on the broad outlines of a trade deal with the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Carney would have needed the support of premiers to lift bans on U.S. alcohol.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Meanwhile, other premiers, namely of Nova Scotia and the Yukon territory, said they were prepared to restore US alcohol sales.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

They were feted by premiers and emirs and entertained at embassies and consulates as they made their way back west to Palermo, Sicily, where they boarded another tanker for the homeward passage.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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