prime minister

1 of 2

noun (1)

1
: the chief minister of a ruler or state
2
: the official head of a cabinet or ministry
especially : the chief executive of a parliamentary government
prime ministerial adjective
prime ministership noun
prime ministry noun

prime ministership

2 of 2

noun (2)

: prime ministry

Examples of prime minister in a Sentence

Noun (1) the Prime Minister of England
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Opposition leaders condemned the prime minister's remarks, maintaining that the elections in Israel were free and fair and there was no evidence of election fraud. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026 Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed, a process that could take weeks or longer. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Those include whether some Jewish and Arab parties would team up in a historic alliance, or whether some parties that campaigned on ousting Netanyahu would toss that aside and join forces with the deeply divisive prime minister. — Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026 A lot happened in fashion during Andy Burnham’s first 101 days as UK prime minister. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prime minister

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prime minister was in 1655

Rhymes for prime minister

See All Rhymes for prime minister

Browse Nearby Words

prime meridian
prime minister
prime ministerial
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Cite this Entry

“Prime minister.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prime%20minister. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

prime minister

noun
: the chief officer of the government in some countries

Legal Definition

prime minister

noun
prime min·​is·​ter
-ˈmi-nə-stər
1
: the chief minister of a ruler or state
2
: the official head of a cabinet or ministry
especially : the chief executive of a parliamentary government
prime ministerial
-ˌmi-nə-ˈstir-ē-əl
adjective
prime ministership noun
prime ministry
-ˈmi-nə-strē
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on prime minister

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prime minister

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