From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprimeprime1 /praɪm/ ●○○ AWL adjective [only before noun] 1 MAINmost important SYN main Smoking is the prime cause of lung disease. Our prime concern is providing jobs for all young school leavers. He was named as the prime suspect in the murder investigation. Good management is of prime importance in business.► see thesaurus at main2 BESTof the very best quality or kind prime rib of beef prime agricultural land The hotel is in a prime location overlooking the valley.3 → be a prime candidate/target (for something)4 → prime example
Examples from the Corpus
prime• Cheryl is a prime candidate for the new managerial position.• Our prime concern is for the child's safety.• prime cuts of beef• If so, the place for you is Usenet news, the Net's prime discussion area.• He argued that agglomeration diseconomies were the prime explanation for the decentralization.• At least in Baja California, real estate should remain a prime factor in building new economic muscle.• The mall is in a prime location, visible from the freeway.• But perhaps its prime message is the crucial role that Rosat is likely to play in our understanding of these issues.• Mr Kravchuk has clearly been rankled by polls which show that his prime minister is twice as popular as he is.• The prime minister was primus inter pares in the cabinet-the first among equals.• Geoffrey Rippon, who was in charge of negotiations, reported to Whitelaw more often than to Heath, the prime minister.• Prime ministerial power, and therefore prime ministerial government is challenged.• The FBI regarded him as its prime suspect in the case.• Bigley was named the prime suspect in the murder.• Tourists are prime targets for theft and robbery.of prime importance• He sensed this moment was of prime importance.• He thought compatibility and interests which could be shared and understood were of prime importance.• The marriage is still of prime importance.• Here, reliability of quality and delivery is of prime importance because the producer works on minimal stock-holding of raw materials.• It would immediately become a project of prime importance, far too serious to leave any loose ends hanging free.• But no one ever mentions two things which seem to me of prime importance in the whole relationship saga.• In this case aggregate theory tells us that economic criteria are of prime importance in this image building.• The care of the environment is of prime importance to our business and is the responsibility of all employees.primeprime2 ●○○ noun [singular] BESTDIEthe time in your life when you are strongest and most activein your prime She’s now 40 and still in her prime. He is now past his prime. a man in the prime of life a young singer who was tragically cut off in her prime (=died while she was in her prime)Examples from the Corpus
prime• Surely you don't allow negative numbers to be primes?• Even Margaret Thatcher in her prime could not carry her party on the question of Sundays.• He was thirty-six years old, and his youth was gone, and even his prime was passing.• In his prime, Vermeer developed what can only be called a formula, and a dazzling one.• Those selected for slaughter are done so at about thirty months, however, when their meat is at its prime.• The extract is bitter but tolerable, and the root has the taste of a radish past its prime.• The bottom strand is numbered in the same way from the 5' end, but with primes on the numbers.cut off in ... prime• The relationship has been stormy, with joint projects often cut off in their prime.primeprime3 verb [transitive] 1 prepare somebodyPREPARE to prepare someone for a situation so that they know what to doprime somebody with something Did you prime her with what to say?prime somebody for something He had a shower and primed himself for action.prime somebody to do something He had been primed to say nothing about it.2 a gunPMW to prepare a gun or bomb so that it can fire or explode3 paintTBCPREPARE to put a special layer of paint on a surface, in order to prepare it for the next layer All metal surfaces will have to be primed.4 → prime the pump5 water to pour water into a water pump in order to make it ready to work→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
prime• The Cowboys will be primed and poised.• Did you prime her with what to say?• The Smiths were priming themselves for a spell in the top five.• These are then primed to recognise and attack the real invader.• When cleaned, non-ferrous metals are best brought to a bright finish before priming with zinc chromate or zinc phosphate.prime somebody to do something• Second baseman Gonzalez is being primed to take over as shortstop.From Longman Business Dictionaryprimeprime1 /praɪm/ adjective1of the best qualityacres of prime real estate right by an international airport2main or most importantThe developer’s prime objective is to build houses at maximum profit, with minimum care for the environment.their prime concern was for the safety of the international financial system.Martin Marietta Corp., the prime contractor in the rocket-engine development programprimeprime2 verb prime the (economic) pump journalismECONOMICS to make the economy grow faster by increasing government spending, hoping that this will encourage business to invest moreDirect investments in job creation are essential to prime the pump and get the economy up and running again. → see also pump-priming→ See Verb tableprimeprime3 noun above primeFINANCE used to talk about how much higher an interest rate is than the PRIME RATE (=the interest rate charged by banks to their best borrowers)The working-capital loan carried an interest rate of 3½ points above prime.Origin prime1 (1300-1400) French Latin primus “first” 