Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

prime

3 verb
     
Related topics: Weapons, Construction
prime3 [transitive]
1

prepare somebody

to prepare someone for a situation so that they know what to do
prime somebody with something
Did you prime her with what to say?
prime somebody for something
He had a shower and primed himself for action.
prime somebody to do something
He had been primed to say nothing about it.
2

a gun

PMW to prepare a gun or bomb so that it can fire or explode
3

paint

TBC to put a special layer of paint on a surface, in order to prepare it for the next layer:
All metal surfaces will have to be primed.
4

prime the pump

informal to encourage a business, industry, or activity to develop by putting money or effort into it
5

water

to pour water into a water pump in order to make it ready to work
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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