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

Such is the predicament of running Germany’s premier industrial company, where half the supervisory-board directors are worker representatives and swing votes are held by the local government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Now, imagine all that delirium, sign-waving and call-in voting was in service of pushing Art Garfunkel to the pinnacle of the premier music video countdown.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario and usually one of the most vocal Canadian politicians on US tariffs, had been silent on the tentative deal.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

For more than a decade, Los Angeles’ premier sports teams — the Lakers and the Dodgers — have relied on big-ticket TV rights deals to boost their operations and player payrolls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

On this spring day in 1962, Defense Minister Rodion Malinovsky told the premier that the American missiles in Turkey were operational.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

"The prime minister has asked us, as premiers, as provinces, to return the US alcohol to the shelves," Houston said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

As part of the negotiations, the US likely has a range of demands of Canada's federal government, beyond the list of actions Carney requested from Canadian regional premiers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Carney will also need buy-in from provincial premiers to reinstate the sale of US alcohol, as liquor sales are controlled by the provinces, not the federal government.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Chinese people have long harbored a particular affection for their premiers, a habit of pinning hopes on the country’s No. 2 official even as the true seat of power lies elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

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