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

Example Sentences

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's ruling party has approved plans to beef up the country's intelligence capability, a party official said Friday, as the premier pushes ahead with a defence overhaul.

From Barron's

The premier previously warned that revising the imperial family's succession rules is "an urgent matter", although this would likely involve "adopting" new members.

From Barron's

Netanyahu's office said the two right-wing leaders held a private meeting after the welcoming ceremony, with the Israeli premier hailing "a real friendship".

From Barron's

Now he is ready to go again, with his sights firmly set on equalling Italian legend Giacomo Agostini's record eight premier class world titles.

From Barron's

Authorities are turning to technology to keep its slice of the planet's premier sporting event safe, as Mexico is co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Canada.

From Barron's