prime minister

American  

noun

• prime ministers
  plural

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

   the British prime minister.

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prime minister British  

noun

1. the head of a parliamentary government

2. the chief minister of a sovereign or a state

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prime minister Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prime ministership
  noun
• prime ministry
  noun
• prime-ministership
  noun
• prime-ministerial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prime ministers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prime minister

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prime minister

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

The prime minister is at odds with Italy, with the two countries earlier this week extending temporary border controls imposed on each other.

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

"Of course there are issues. I've been prime minister myself for 14 years. You have to take tough decisions, and it's not always easy."

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

And of course, Atal said, no, he would be prime minister, and I would be his secretary.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai