prime time

See more synonyms for prime time on Thesaurus.com

noun Radio and Television.

the hours, generally between 8 and 11 p.m., usually having the largest audience of the day.

Origin of prime time

First recorded in 1955–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for prime time

Contemporary Examples of prime time

What does it feel like to lose a million dollars, a free car, and your dignity, all in 30 minutes of prime-time television?
Taylor Swift’s Surprise, Comic Flight Attendant, and More Viral Videos
The Daily Beast Video
April 20, 2014
That argument is unlikely to satisfy critics of the former CNN prime-time star.
Larry King’s Russian TV Dilemma: “It Would Be Bad if They Tried to Edit Out Things. I Wouldn’t Put Up With It.”
Lloyd Grove
March 7, 2014
Late-night television is written about more than prime-time television is, and the reasons seem fairly obvious.
Can Jimmy Fallon Be Himself on ‘The Tonight Show’?
Tom Shales
February 17, 2014
It's not just an issue of having debates gussied up and put on prime-time.
Memo to the Media: Quit Ruining Politics
Justin Green
April 2, 2013
Boxing once relied heavily on prime-time Olympic exposure to introduce its future stars to the U.S. sports-viewing public.
Why Spectators Sports Thrive or Die
Michael Tomasky
February 15, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for prime time

prime time

noun

the peak viewing time on television, for which advertising rates are the highest

adjective primetime

occurring during or designed for prime timea primetime drama

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