preferred provider

noun

1
: ppo
—usually used attributively
2
: a health care provider (such as a doctor or hospital) that is part of a PPO

Examples of preferred provider in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With health care costs poised to rise, the company is lowering its health insurance premiums for preferred provider insurance plans by nearly $1,000. — Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Sep. 2025 To stir further confusion, some even deploy common insurance terms like PPO (preferred provider organization) or co-pay in their terms and conditions. — Alana Semuels, Time, 30 Oct. 2025 Cloudflare, which already has a working relationship with OpenAI, is poised to be a preferred provider of AI firms, Piper Sandler said. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026 Workers enrolled in a high-deductible plan pay an average monthly premium of $109, much lower than the average $191 per month for a traditional PPO (preferred provider organization) plan, according to benefits consultant Mercer. — Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 4 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of preferred provider was in 1982

Rhymes for preferred provider

See All Rhymes for preferred provider

Browse Nearby Words

preferred lie
preferred provider
preferred provider organization
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preferred provider.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preferred%20provider. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All