prime minister

noun

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

Examples of prime minister in a Sentence

the Prime Minister of England
Recent Examples on the Web India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and prime minister Narendra Modi are running on the country’s strong economy. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 10 Mar. 2024 But on Tuesday, following a security cabinet meeting in which security leaders reportedly advised caution, the prime minister’s office announced that Israel will not impose any restrictions at the start of Ramadan but will evaluate conditions on a weekly basis. Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The implication was that the man that polls suggest is most likely to succeed Netanyahu as prime minister – Benny Gantz, who is part of the emergency coalition, but not the pre-October government – will have veto power over any solution to the issue. Mick Krever, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 The order, an extension of a 72-hour state of emergency first enacted on Sunday, was issued by Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who has been acting as prime minister while the country’s current head of government, Ariel Henry, remains unable to get back into Haiti. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Farmers on tractors blocked highways leading into Warsaw while thousands of their supporters gathered in front of the prime minister's office before marching to the parliament. Vanessa Gera, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2024 Netanyahu refuses to even consider trying to nurture a new relationship with non-Hamas Palestinians, because to do so would risk his prime minister’s chair, which depends on backing by hard-right Jewish supremacist parties who will never cede an inch of the West Bank. Thomas L. Friedman, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 The new prime minister of the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu said Friday that his country shares democratic values with Taiwan and reaffirmed that his government would maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei, ruling out a shift to Beijing. Rod McGuirk The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 Under his previous term as prime minister, Sharif had to struggle for months to get a $3-billion bailout from the IMF. Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prime minister.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near prime minister

Cite this Entry

“Prime minister.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prime%20minister. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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