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• prius
  prius

  adjective

  (in prescriptions) before; former.
• Prius
  Prius

  noun

  a brand of hybrid car, one of the first commercially successful, that runs at lower speeds on an electric motor powered by a battery pack, and at higher speeds on a gasoline engine, which can also recharge the battery.

prius

¹ American  

[prahy-uhs] / ˈpraɪ əs /

adjective

1. (in prescriptions) before; former.

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Prius ² American  

[pree-uhs] / ˈpri əs /

noun

Trademark.

Prius, plural Prii plural

1. a brand of hybrid car, one of the first commercially successful, that runs at lower speeds on an electric motor powered by a battery pack, and at higher speeds on a gasoline engine, which can also recharge the battery.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Prii
  plural
• Prius
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prius¹

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1890–95

Origin of Prius²

1997; from the Latin prius meaning “coming before”; also related to such English words as “prior” and “primary”

Example Sentences

His wife is also keeping her 2007 Toyota Prius.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

“With oil price spikes in 2007-2008, there were waitlists for the Toyota Prius hybrid, but by 2016 when prices fell, Ford saw record sales of F-150s,” Medlock said.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

He doesn’t own a luxury Tesla; he owns a $5,000 Prius.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

The Prius and Elantra appeared to have been involved in an earlier collision, a crash report said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Heather sighs and smiles dreamily at Vivi as we load our purchases into the trunk of Heather’s Prius.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black