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
Aguas Calientes, located in a narrow valley along the Urubamba River, serves as the gateway town to Machu Picchu and is accessible primarily by train or hiking routes.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
The Marlins plan to use Morel primarily at first base.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
The route runs from the light rail station on Folsom Boulevard at Watt Avenue into North Highlands, primarily along Watt Avenue.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Designed to fool missile seekers The BriteCloud 218 is intended primarily to support the F-35, providing an additional layer of protection to complement the stealth aircraft’s existing radio-frequency countermeasures.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
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Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
The Marlins plan to use Morel primarily at first base.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
The route runs from the light rail station on Folsom Boulevard at Watt Avenue into North Highlands, primarily along Watt Avenue.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Designed to fool missile seekers The BriteCloud 218 is intended primarily to support the F-35, providing an additional layer of protection to complement the stealth aircraft’s existing radio-frequency countermeasures.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 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 31 Dec. 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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