premium

/ˈpriːmiəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpriːmiəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprē-mē-əm/ (ame, mw) · /ˈpriː.mi.əm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpriː.mi.əm/ (ame, ipa)

premium — 名詞

1. money you pay or receive on top of what something would normally cost — for exam

1.名詞C1
釋義

溢價；加價

比一般價格多付或多收的金額

money you pay or receive on top of what something would normally cost — for example, a buyer paying extra for a rare item, or shares trading above their listed price.

例句

Collectors are willing to pay a premium of fifty dollars for the rare baseball card.

收藏家願意為這張稀有的棒球卡多付五十美元的溢價。

pattern: a premium of + amount

Diego sold his tech shares for three dollars above the listed price, pocketing a tidy premium.

Diego 把手中的科技股以高於掛牌價三美元賣出，賺到了一筆不錯的溢價。

collocation: pocket / earn a premium

同義詞
  • surcharge

    more formal; an official added fee charged on top of a base price

  • markup

    the extra amount a seller adds above cost, focused on profit margin

  • extra

    informal; any additional amount, less specific than premium

反義詞
  • discount

    an amount taken off the regular price rather than added

文法句型

a premium of + amount

premium on + noun

at a premium

用法筆記

Subject is usually money, a price, or shares; very often appears with 'pay' or in the fixed phrase 'at a premium'. Distinguish from sense 2: this is any extra amount, while sense 2 is specifically the regular fee for an insurance contract.

常見錯誤

❌I paid a premium price of money for the ticket.
✅I paid a premium for the ticket.
💡'premium' here already means the extra money, so adding 'price of money' is redundant.

2. the regular sum of money a person or company hands over to an insurance company

2.名詞C2
釋義

保險費

為了投保而定期支付給保險公司的金額

the regular sum of money a person or company hands over to an insurance company so that the company will cover losses from things like accidents, illness, or damage.

例句

Carlos pays his car insurance premium at the start of every month.

Carlos 每個月月初繳一次汽車保險費。

monthly premium collocation

After the second accident, the insurance company raised Lina's premium by thirty percent.

在第二次車禍後，保險公司把 Lina 的保費調高了百分之三十。

raise / lower a premium

同義詞
  • contribution

    less specific; can refer to any regular payment into a fund

  • instalment

    any scheduled payment, not specific to insurance

文法句型

pay a premium

monthly / annual premium

用法筆記

Almost always countable and almost always paired with 'insurance' or a type of insurance (health, car, life). Often modified by 'monthly', 'annual', 'high', 'low'. Distinguish from sense 1: this is a fixed insurance payment, not an extra amount above a normal price.

常見錯誤

❌I paid a premium to the doctor for the treatment.
✅I paid a premium to the insurance company.
💡premiums go to insurers, not directly to doctors or hospitals.

3. the most expensive, top-grade petrol or gas sold at filling stations — designed

3.名詞C2
釋義

高級汽油

辛烷值較高、價格較貴的最高等級汽油

the most expensive, top-grade petrol or gas sold at filling stations — designed for high-performance engines and priced higher than the regular kind next to it on the pump.

例句

Marcus always fills his sports car up with premium at the corner garage.

Marcus 每次都在街角的加油站幫他的跑車加高級汽油。

fill up with premium

When Hana bought her new BMW, the dealer warned her that the engine must run on premium, never regular.

Hana 買新的 BMW 時，車商特別提醒她這顆引擎只能加高級汽油，絕對不能加普通汽油。

run on premium

同義詞
  • high-octane

    technical term focused on the octane rating rather than the brand grade

  • super

    British informal label for premium grade petrol at the pump

反義詞
  • regular

    the cheaper, lower-grade fuel sold next to premium at most stations

文法句型

fill up with premium

run on premium

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense (no plural and no 'a premium'). Often contrasted with 'regular' or 'standard'. Mostly used with verbs like 'fill up with', 'run on', 'buy', 'use'.

常見錯誤

❌My car drinks two premiums every week.
✅My car uses two tanks of premium every week.
💡premium fuel is uncountable; count the tanks, litres, or gallons instead.

premium — 形容詞