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

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

Hilton, a British immigrant who once advised a U.K. prime minister, is endorsed by President Donald Trump and finished second in the June open-party primary election with 24.6% of the vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

However, the upcoming convention will look more like the sort of nominating conventions that dominated party politics prior to the widespread adoption of the primary election nominating process.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 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