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

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

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

At its recent premier in Delhi, the cast and crew received a standing ovation once the curtains came down.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

This is the part where the Journal’s premier footy scribes Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg giggle at my stateside naiveté.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Another funding document stated that with BP’s support, Princeton sought to become “the world’s premier institution in climate and energy” and suggested its graduates could one day work for the company.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

Burnham, who stepped down as mayor of Greater Manchester ahead of his parliamentary by-election victory last week, has been fairly vague regarding his economic intentions should he become premier.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

If cheating to lose is sport’s premier sin, and if sumo wrestling is the premier sport of a great nation, cheating to lose couldn’t possibly exist in sumo.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

I hope that dialogue between the Trump administration, state governors, Canada’s provincial premiers and the leader of the official opposition party will generate an improved economic partnership of mutual benefit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

“We expect the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty,” Carney said Thursday, alongside the country’s 10 provincial premiers, including Alberta’s Danielle Smith.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

The premiers of Ontario and British Columbia announced restrictions on U.S.-made liquor in their provinces.

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2025

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met provincial and territorial premiers to discuss the country's coordinated response.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2025

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