peer of the realm

American

noun

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

peers of the realm

plural

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.

See Examples For:

peer of the realm

He was, at one time or other, a senior Conservative politician, a best-selling author, a peer of the realm, and a convicted perjurer.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

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

"Now, you wouldn't think it to look at me, but I'm a peer of the realm."

From A Poached Peerage by William Magnay

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