premier

American  

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

noun

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

• premiership noun

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”; 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

“I thought you had two premier pitchers against two really good offenses,” Savage said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Formula One also has a substantial growth runway, they say, with the potential to significantly ramp up monetization for MotoGP, the world’s premier motorcycle racing championship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Snooker's premier event has been staged at the Crucible since 1977, with the current deal running until 2027.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

A skilful politician, he has left everyone guessing as to whether he really wants to be premier.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

The track was offering a $50,000 purse for the inaugural Hollywood Gold Cup, a ten-furlong race that promised to become one of the sport’s premier events.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand