premier

[pri-meer, -myeer, pree-meer]

noun

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

2. a chief officer.

adjective

1. first in rank; chief; leading.

2. first in time; earliest; oldest.

premier

/ 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

adjective

1. first in importance, rank, etc

2. first in occurrence; earliest

premier

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.

Other Word Forms

• premiership noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of premier¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of premier¹

C15: from Old French: first, from Latin prīmārius principal, from prīmus first

Example Sentences

The nation’s premier defense firms and missile manufacturers will likely enjoy direct access to Golden Dome, since the project is expected to be headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the “Pentagon of the South.”

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However, expectations that the new premier would embark on a big-spending spree have pushed yields on Japanese government bonds to record highs this week and put pressure on the yen.

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Petro, twice semi-finalists in the premier African club competition, maintained a 100 percent record this season having won four qualifiers ahead of the group stage.

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Wen pushed past photographers and charged at the actress and singer, who was attending the Asian premier for Wicked: For Good on 13 November.

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The price, Shenghe said, was worth it for a mine it had long considered “the premier undeveloped rare earth project in the world.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

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.