prince

[ prins ]
See synonyms for prince on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a nonreigning male member of a royal family.

  2. History/Historical. a sovereign or monarch; king.

  1. (in Great Britain) a son or grandson (if the child of a son) of a king or queen.

  2. the English equivalent of any of various titles of nobility in other countries.

  3. a holder of such a title.

  4. the ruler of a small state, as one actually or nominally subordinate to a suzerain: Monaco is ruled by a prince.

  5. a person or thing that is chief or preeminent in any class, group, etc.: a merchant prince.

  6. a person possessing admirably fine and genial characteristics: He is a prince of a man.

Origin of prince

1
1175–1225; Middle English <Old French <Latin prīncip- (stem of prīnceps) first, principal (adj.), principal person, leader (noun), equivalent to prīn- for prīmusprime + -cep- (combining form of capere to take) + -s nominative singular ending

Other words from prince

  • princeless, adjective
  • princeship, noun

Words that may be confused with prince

Words Nearby prince

Other definitions for Prince (2 of 2)

Prince
[ prins ]

noun
  1. Har·old S(mith) [har-uhld smith], /ˈhær əld ˈsmɪθ/, "Hal", 1928–2019, U.S. stage director and producer.

  2. Prince Rogers Nelson, 1958–2016, U.S. singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

  1. a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use prince in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prince (1 of 2)

prince

/ (prɪns) /


noun
  1. (in Britain) a son of the sovereign or of one of the sovereign's sons

  2. a nonreigning male member of a sovereign family

  1. the monarch of a small territory, such as Monaco, usually called a principality, that was at some time subordinate to an emperor or king

  2. any sovereign; monarch

  3. a nobleman in various countries, such as Italy and Germany

  4. an outstanding member of a specified group: a merchant prince

  5. US and Canadian informal a generous and charming man

Origin of prince

1
C13: via Old French from Latin princeps first man, ruler, chief

Derived forms of prince

  • princelike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Prince (2 of 2)

Prince

/ (prɪns) /


noun
  1. full name Prince Rogers Nelson. born 1958, US rock singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. His albums include Dirty Mind (1981), Purple Rain (1984), Parade (1986), and Sign o' the Times (1987)

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