primary election

American  

noun

1. primary.

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primary election British  

noun

1. See primary

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Etymology

Origin of primary election

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

primary election

Their efforts were thwarted by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who rejected the petition right at the deadline, hours before the state’s primary election last month.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

That included a facility in Pennsylvania on the state’s primary election day, which caused 56 ballots to be postmarked with the wrong date.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

The race immediately became a test of whether Trump’s backing could help Graham, a political neophyte known to voters only because of her last name, win a primary election in the deep-red state.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

Republicans who want to vie for the seat will be able to file starting July 21, and the primary election will be Aug. 11, with a possible Aug. 25 runoff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Allwright, the Supreme Court ended the use of the all-white primary election; and in 1946, the Court ruled that state laws requiring segregation on interstate buses were unconstitutional.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander