Phrase guide

primary care

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system; either a general practitioner or the A&E or ER department of a hospital.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: government, healthcare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the medical care received on first contact with the medical system (before being referred elsewhere)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: medical care, medical aid

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: първи́чна медици́нска по́мощ (pǎrvíčna medicínska pómošt) — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Catalan: atenció primària — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Chinese Mandarin: 基層醫療 /基层医疗 (jīcéng yīliáo) — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Czech: primární péče — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Dutch: eerstelijnszorg — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Finnish: perusterveydenhuolto — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Greek: πρωτοβάθμια περίθαλψη (protováthmia períthalpsi) — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Macedonian: општа нега (opšta nega) — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system
  • Swedish: primärvård — medical attention that a patient receives upon first contact with a healthcare system