prime 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of primenext
1
as in chief
highest in rank or authority the prime strategist in the senator's presidential campaign

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excellent
of the very best kind owns a thousand acres of prime farmland

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prime

2 of 3

noun

ˈprīm How to pronounce prime (audio)
1
as in bloom
a state or time of great activity, thriving, or achievement in the prime of her life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in best
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class chose the prime of the litter of pups

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prime

3 of 3

verb

as in to ground

Related Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of prime
Adjective
Also, Helldivers is getting booked during the prime summer season. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 And that sounds like the sort of attention Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce received in his prime years. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
With her own clothing brand launched in 2021, Kinsey Fit, Wolanski as a sports influencer has partnered with major brands like Adidas, Netflix, Amazon prime, YouTube TV, Draft Kings and Recover 180. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 Registered dietitians say the leafy green primes the gut, eases bloating and supplies nutrients tied to bone density and gut health. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
Once people are primed to see isolated criminal acts as collective proof, punitive policy can begin to sound like common sense rather than ideology. — Donathan L. Brown, The Conversation, 24 June 2026 Activation requires the techniques of reminding, priming, and reinforcing. — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for prime
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prime
  1. chief
  2. excellent
  3. bloom
  4. best
  5. ground
  6. foremost
  7. great
  8. blooming
Adjective
  • Misheck Mutize, AfCRA’s chief architect, acknowledged that the agency’s main role would be to steer Africa’s $4 trillion savings into African assets rather than changing how foreign investors see the continent.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Andrew Garfield stars as Altman, with Anora‘s Yura Borisov playing Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientific officer and co-founder of OpenAI who fires Altman.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of chief
Adjective
  • There’s an excellent Anantara Spa and a state-of-the-art fitness center onsite, but the highlight of the property is its 60-foot-long oceanfront infinity pool, which overlooks the entire expanse of Stone Town beach.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Mikey Madison is excellent as a whistleblower driven by love, not spite.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of excellent
Noun
  • The collection is also a seasonal day book, tracing a year of temperature changes, blooms, and dyings-off.
    — Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • And particularly teenagers, that hormone bloom of identity and growth and reevaluation does nothing but cause potential destruction in your life.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of bloom
Noun
  • Pugh’s performance is a master class in physicality and flair, one of her career bests.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But for the second straight week, Kelce had game-bests in receptions and receiving yards as the Chiefs beat the Colts 33-30 in overtime Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of best
Verb
  • Later, Mars trines Neptune in your 4th House, making home, family, or familiar comforts especially grounding.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • However, engineering challenges such as thermal management and structural lifespan have historically kept them grounded.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of ground
Adjective
  • Considered the foremost institution for Asian art in the United States, this additional space will give the museum more room to display roughly 4,000 historic and contemporary works from its more than 21,000-piece collection of Asian artists.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Seeing the internet’s foremost disciple of glow meet the internet’s foremost purveyor of good lighting, though, feels quite satisfying—who else needs another excuse to update that Sephora cart?
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of foremost
Adjective
  • The rich collections do a great job of honoring visual traditions and explaining their connections to real people and real places.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Despite deep-rooted tensions between southerners and the PLC, both are in agreement that the Houthi threat is far greater than that of the other.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of great
Noun
  • When blooming slows in the fall, cut back the whole plant to the new basal growth to keep it healthy for spring.
    — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Stop deadheading as shorter days and cooler temperatures slow plant growth and blooming.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of blooming

Browse Nearby Words

primary schools
prime
primed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prime.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prime. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on prime

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prime

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All