Word of the Day: Prime
Use the word “prime” to talk about things that are of good quality or when a person is at his or her best.
- At forty-seven, Bob feels like he’s in the prime of his life. (This is a stage of life when a person is at full strength mentally, physically, socially, financially, etc.)
- When Joe was in his prime, he was able to play tennis for hours and hours. Now he can’t do that.
- Julia is at her prime when she’s surrounded by her friends and others who support her.
- Steak lovers enjoy prime rib because it’s so juicy and tender. (prime rib = a high quality cut of meat from a cow)
- Retailers look for prime locations in which to sell their products.
- A Labrador is a prime breed of dog for hunting or companionship.
When used as a verb, a person primes another person or a thing to be prepared for some activity or purpose:
- You should prime bare wood with a primer before applying paint.
- Jerry primed his car before he painted it with a top coat.
- Sheetrock should be primed before it’s painted.
- Matt is being primed for a V.P. position at the company where he works. (V.P. = vice president)
- Sophia’s boss is priming her to take over the accounting department.
- Our dog is being primed for hunting by a professional dog trainer.
The word “prime” is used before the word “minister” when referring to the top political leader in countries that have a parliamentary system of government.
- The current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is Boris Johnson.
- Narendra Moti was elected as the Prime Minister of India in 2014.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with P page to see the list of all words starting with letter P. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.