1
the [party] primary
这里的 primary 是可数名词，指政党预选。
The Republican primary will be held next month.
共和党初选将于下个月举行。
初选；预选
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
初选；预选
A primary election; a preliminary election to select a political candidate.
The Republican primary will be held next month.
共和党初选将于下个月举行。
初选；为选出政党候选人或两轮选举的第一轮而进行的预选。
A primary election; a preliminary election to select a political candidate of a political party, or the first round of a two-round election.
初选
a preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen
小学一年级。
The first year of grade school.
初级飞羽
one of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird's wing
Many states hold their primary in March.
许多州在三月举行初选。
The bird's primaries are damaged, so it cannot fly well.
这只鸟的初级飞羽受损，所以飞不好。
The planet's primary is a massive star.
这颗行星的主星是一颗巨大的恒星。
这里的 primary 是可数名词，指政党预选。
The Republican primary will be held next month.
共和党初选将于下个月举行。
win/lose 后面直接接 primary，不用介词。
She lost the primary by only one percent.
她仅以一个百分点的差距输掉了初选。
表示“在初选中投票”时，用 in the primary。
Make sure you vote in the primary.
一定要参加初选投票。
Not this
He won in primary.
Use this
He won in the primary.
名词 primary 表示“初选”时可数，单数前必须加限定词；此处指某一次具体初选，需用 the primary。
Not this
The primary of the plan is to save money.
Use this
The primary goal of the plan is to save money.
primary 作名词时指“初选、原色、小学”等，不表示“主要的事”；表示“主要目标”要说 primary goal，不能把 primary 直接当名词使用。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
赢得初选
She won the primary by a narrow margin.
她以微弱优势赢得了初选。
总统初选
The presidential primary will be held in March.
总统初选将于三月举行。
初选季
During primary season, the candidates travel constantly.
初选季期间，候选人不断巡回奔波。
三原色
Red, green, and blue are the three primaries.
红、绿、蓝是三原色。
Use primary naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
primary 里有 prime（首要），初选就是首要的预选。
语域：neutral 常见场景：美国选举报道、政治讨论、投票相关场合 作名词表示‘初选’时，多用于美国政治选举语境，指政党预选或初选；常见于新闻报道和日常讨论，语气中性。
As a countable noun, 'primary' is used in elections, ornithology, and astronomy.
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.