How to Use primary in a Sentence

primary

1 of 2 adjective
  • The economy was the primary focus of the debate.
  • The book is based mainly on primary sources rather than secondary sources.
  • The family is the primary social unit of human life.
  • The primary function of our schools is to educate our young people.
  • We just started our primary flight training.
  • The primary goal is to weed out the poor singers and keep the one talented singer as the winner.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 June 2023
  • Though the primary suite takes the cake with a huge walk-in closet and a dressing room.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 31 July 2023
  • The new home and away primary sweaters are cut from the same cloth as other recent black-and-gold jerseys, but with a few twists.
    Conor Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023
  • The write-in effort stems from the fact that Mr. Biden's name will not appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot.
    Bo Erickson, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2023
  • One of the highlights of Nexus House is the gigantic primary suite, which spans a whopping 1,000 square feet.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 June 2023
  • Before covering the tree, tie the branches with a rope or twine to help protect the primary growth.
    Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024
  • For train travel, the primary stations are the neighboring Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est.
    Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 Dec. 2023
  • Iowa is the first state to have a caucus or primary ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
    Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 2 Dec. 2023
  • Schank, a senior, finished with nine points and a few chargers, leading the squad as one of the primary ball handlers.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024
  • The larger of the two homes currently serves as the primary residence.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2023
  • The 504-square-foot primary suite on the main floor has a sitting area with a gas fireplace and access to the patio, saltwater pool and spa.
    Jeastman, oregonlive, 10 Aug. 2023
  • What is your primary goal with the upcoming race in Aspen?
    Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2024
  • In the 40-seat Senate, fully half are up for primary elections.
    Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 17 June 2023
  • There’s a fireplace in the living room, a terrace off the primary bedroom, and a curving staircase.
    Curbed, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Trump continues to hold a commanding lead over the field in some GOP primary polls.
    Ashley Carnahan, Fox News, 31 July 2023
  • Tkachuk earned the primary assist with a fine pass that Montour turned into his seventh goal of the playoffs.
    Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2023
  • On Thursday morning, pieces of the jet — including what appeared to be its tail — lay more than a mile from the primary crash site.
    Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
  • Dusek said three primary sources influence rip currents: waves, the tide or water level, and the shape of the bottom of the coastline.
    Cara Korte, CBS News, 6 June 2023
  • In the primary bedroom, Linda added abstract motifs in the drapery in lieu of artwork since there was a lack of wall space to hang art.
    Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023
  • The primary author spent something like 25 years on it, writing it.
    WIRED, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Haley has yet to win a single primary state and badly trails Trump in the delegate race.
    Brianne Pfannenstiel, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024
  • This is what’s at stake on Chicago’s March 19 primary ballot.
    Micky Horstman, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
  • If Evans does miss significant time, the speedy Palmer would be a primary target.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023
  • The primary bath sports an indoor/outdoor shower, and there’s plenty of room for a boutique’s worth of Bermuda shorts and bathing suits in the walk-in closet.
    Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2023
  • The Birmingham court said the map would need to be redrawn, but the Supreme Court intervened and said a new map could not be put in place so close to the primary races before the 2022 election.
    Emily Cochrane, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023
Advertisement

primary

2 of 2 noun
  • The goal of the song is the same as the goal of the arrangements, but the arrangements are the primary.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2023
  • So, on to the primaries: Trump could falter, but the race remains his to lose.
    David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023
  • The deadline to file for the May 14 primary in Maryland is Feb. 9.
    Jeff Barker, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2023
  • There is still a chance that the polls are wrong or that history does not serve as a guide to the 2024 primary.
    G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 15 Dec. 2023
  • Sununu has also called on the field to shrink as the main means to overcome Trump in a primary.
    Natasha Korecki, NBC News, 20 Oct. 2023
  • If everyone that could vote in the primary comes out and votes ...
    Abby Cruz, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2023
  • The one person that ought to enjoy that poll is Joe Biden, with Trump having that kind of a lead in the primary.
    CBS News, 14 Jan. 2024
  • But then that's always been the case that people can be exposed in these primaries.
    ABC News, 14 Jan. 2024
  • The ad comes as the campaign gears up for the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary next month.
    Misty Severi, Washington Examiner, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Past the main bath, find three bedrooms, the primary with its own newer bath and deck access.
    Jon Gorey, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023
  • And in a head-to-head match-up in a Republican primary, Trump almost has a two-to-one lead here, 60% to 36%.
    Nbc Universal, NBC News, 25 June 2023
  • Voters who didn't vote in the March 5 primary may vote in either primary in the runoff.
    Michael R. Wickline, arkansasonline.com, 2 Apr. 2024
  • On January 23, New Hampshire will vote in a primary to do the same.
    Nr Editors, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023
  • That’s slightly higher than the primary, in which early turnout was 7%.
    Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2023
  • Four years ago in a March 3 presidential primary, the turnout was a bit higher: 47%.
    George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Among the Democratic primaries that boast prominent candidates is the one to take on Lawler.
    Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 18 July 2023
  • Trump himself is on Ohio's March 19 ballot, but the Buckeye State won't have much of a role to play in the presidential primary.
    Haley Bemiller, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024
  • Part of the pressure to keep on schedule stems from New Hampshire’s hosting the nation’s first primary just eight days later.
    WSJ, 15 Jan. 2024
  • With so many candidates, the March primary could extend into a runoff.
    Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 4 Sep. 2023
  • While Americans have yet to cast a single ballot in the primaries, no GOP rival has come close to dislodging him.
    Matt Ford, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023
  • If Carlson’s instincts are right, the GOP primary will center on three main topics.
    Ana Marie Cox, The New Republic, 18 July 2023
  • Last week, a call went out to a number of New Hampshire voters urging them to not vote in the state’s presidential primary.
    Emily Price, PCMAG, 27 Jan. 2024
  • The summer before the first presidential primaries, things get messy.
    James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023
  • With just a few weeks until the beginning of the 2024 primaries, Trump now has what looks to be an insurmountable lead in the G.O.P. race, a lead that has only risen with each new case filed against him.
    Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2023
  • Now that the first GOP presidential debate is over, the five-month sprint to the Iowa caucuses and early primaries is just beginning.
    Susan Page, USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2023
  • Nine of this year's Super Tuesday states had exit polls conducted in their 2016 primaries.
    Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Turner finished comfortably in second place and the lawsuit was dropped a few days after the March 5 primary.
    Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
  • The complaint was filed by Alaskans for Better Elections, a group that advocates for Alaska’s open primaries and ranked choice voting.
    Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 17 July 2023
  • But soon after the primary, Chisholm’s husband started to worry that something was wrong.
    Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
  • In each of the races, there will be a runoff in November between the top two finishers in the March primary regardless of whether a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in March.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023

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

Last Updated: