as in stars
the person who has the most important role in a play, movie, or TV show
my cousin is one of the principals in a new sitcom this fall
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Recent Examples of principals
So why now when the team principals meet is the room is all men?
—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
30 June 2026
The Austrian Alps are fantastically photogenic, and the principals in the Plamberger trial had left a detailed record of their time in the mountains on social media.
—
William Finnegan,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The matter simmered until February 24, 1976, when the board, after one of its regular meetings, asked Irving Carroll and Ernest Valenze, the principals of Island Trees’ two high schools, to remove the books from the library shelves.
—
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
The district has already taken steps this year to try and lessen the deficit, including cutting its teaching staff and some assistant principals.
—
Kate Perez,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
As of mid-May, CPS had delivered more than 600 proposals to principals on how to handle the shortfall, and early reporting at the time indicated that the district seemed to be preparing to cut some positions.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
That pipeline dried up after Brexit ended the free movement of labor, one of the bloc’s founding principals.
—
Danica Kirka,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
The agency problem is built on the assumption that principals needed protecting from agents.
—
Mary Johnstone-Louis,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Other recommendations made by TASB incldude a $5,000 increase for campus principals and market adjustments totaling $47,324 for campus technicians on the technology pay grade.
—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
30 June 2026
The Austrian Alps are fantastically photogenic, and the principals in the Plamberger trial had left a detailed record of their time in the mountains on social media.
—
William Finnegan,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The matter simmered until February 24, 1976, when the board, after one of its regular meetings, asked Irving Carroll and Ernest Valenze, the principals of Island Trees’ two high schools, to remove the books from the library shelves.
—
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
The district has already taken steps this year to try and lessen the deficit, including cutting its teaching staff and some assistant principals.
—
Kate Perez,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2026
As of mid-May, CPS had delivered more than 600 proposals to principals on how to handle the shortfall, and early reporting at the time indicated that the district seemed to be preparing to cut some positions.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
That pipeline dried up after Brexit ended the free movement of labor, one of the bloc’s founding principals.
—
Danica Kirka,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
The agency problem is built on the assumption that principals needed protecting from agents.
—
Mary Johnstone-Louis,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Other recommendations made by TASB incldude a $5,000 increase for campus principals and market adjustments totaling $47,324 for campus technicians on the technology pay grade.
—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principals
stars
Noun
-
The first major update came in 1795 with the addition of two stars for Vermont and Kentucky, and the most recent change came in 1960 after Hawaii became the 50th state.
-
So far, historical society members have determined the giant cotton broadcloth flag bears just 48 stars representing the US states – a design used only until 1959, before Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the union.
Cite this Entry
“Principals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principals. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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