primarily
adverb
pri·mar·i·ly
prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 
also prə-,
chiefly British ˈprī-mə-rə-lē
1
: for the most part : chiefly
has now become primarily a residential town—
S. P. B. Mais
S. P. B. Mais2
: in the first place : originally
Examples of primarily in a Sentence
the university was primarily an agricultural college when it was founded over two centuries ago
ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes
Recent Examples on the Web
The Hudsons’ parents are actress Goldie Hawn and musician Bill Hudson, though both were primarily raised by Hawn and her longtime partner, Kurt Russell.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
Another group, led primarily by Maryland farmers, started collecting signatures to challenge the Renewable Energy Certainty Act, which focuses on solar farm siting in the state.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025
One way to counter this is by training employees in your intake centers to ask the right questions, notice patterns and flag issues early rather than relying primarily on scripts.
—Arnold Sotelo, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
An April Pew Research Center poll found only about one-third of Americans support deporting all undocumented immigrants, with most favoring deportation primarily for violent criminals and much less support for deporting those with family ties or who came to the U.S. as children.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for primarily
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Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
Another group, led primarily by Maryland farmers, started collecting signatures to challenge the Renewable Energy Certainty Act, which focuses on solar farm siting in the state.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025
One way to counter this is by training employees in your intake centers to ask the right questions, notice patterns and flag issues early rather than relying primarily on scripts.
—Arnold Sotelo, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
An April Pew Research Center poll found only about one-third of Americans support deporting all undocumented immigrants, with most favoring deportation primarily for violent criminals and much less support for deporting those with family ties or who came to the U.S. as children.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for primarily
Cite this Entry
“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primarily. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
primarily
adverb
pri·mar·i·ly
prī-ˈmer-ə-lē
1
: for the most part : chiefly
2
: in the first place : originally
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