premium
part of speech
noun (a premium, premiums); adjective (premium)
meaning for a pupil
1) (money) An amount paid regularly for insurance. tree →
2) An extra amount paid on top of the usual price. tree →
3) adjective Of high quality and usually more expensive: «premium ice cream». tree →
4) at a premium Hard to find and so in great demand: «Space is at a premium in our flat.» tree →
5) put a premium on Treat something as very important. tree →
sense in the lessons
In adult life, families pay a «monthly premium» for car, house or health insurance. In shops «premium» on labels means the dearer, better kind; «premium petrol». In maths problems, a premium is an extra amount you add. Phrases: «insurance premium», «pay a premium», «at a premium», «premium quality».
examples
- Mum pays an insurance premium every month for the car. tree →
- Premium tickets cost more but you sit at the front. tree →
- We bought the premium ice cream for the party. tree →
- Seats were at a premium at the school concert. tree →
- Our coach puts a premium on teamwork. tree →
- Dad filled up with premium petrol. tree →
- You pay a premium for fruit that is out of season. tree →
note
Plural «premiums». Stress: PREE-mee-um. In maths: if a ticket costs £20 plus a £5 premium, the total is £25. «Premium» on a label is marketing; it does not always mean better. An insurance premium is paid even if nothing goes wrong.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «premium» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.