Synonyms

prime minister

American

noun

the principal minister and head of government in parliamentary systems; chief of the cabinet or ministry.

the British prime minister.

prime minister British

noun

the head of a parliamentary government
the chief minister of a sovereign or a state

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

prime minister Cultural

The head of government in many nations. Prime minister is commonly the title of the head of government in a parliamentary system, such as that of Britain or Canada.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

prime ministers

plural

Etymology

Origin of prime minister

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

prime minister

The prime minister said they were "working together" to uphold the principles of the peace deal for Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Within a day, a Hellenic Capital Market Commission vice chair told Binance that Lagarde had asked the Greek prime minister not to approve it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Binance CEO Richard Teng was planning to fly to Athens for a photo shoot with the prime minister, and his local deputy was about to sign an office lease.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Parliament elected her prime minister on November 24, 2021, but dramatic hours and days were to follow.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

NM: Now was any reply given to this letter by the prime minister?

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023