debutant

American

[deb-yoo-tahnt, -yuh-] / ˈdɛb jʊˌtɑnt, -jə- /

Or débutant

noun

a person who makes a debut into a professional career or before the public.

debutant British

/ ˈdɛbjʊˌtɑːnt, -ˌtænt /

noun

a person who is making a first appearance in a particular capacity, such as a sportsperson playing in a first game for a team

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of debutant

1815–25; < French débutant, present participle of débuter. See debut, -ant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

debutant

They put on 128 after debutant Aneurin Donald made 12.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

The home side were already facing an unexpected chase of 130 on the fourth day after being frazzled by the hitting of Pakistan debutant Razaullah on Friday evening.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

That Villa lost 4-0 - conceding all four in a calamitous opening 31 minutes before having debutant Joao Gomes sent off - merely added added to the perceived insult.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Harmanpreet, Deepti and Richa Ghosh all made half-centuries, while seamer Sayali Satghare bowled with pace and the spin trio of Rana, Deepti and debutant N Sree Charani provided control.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

At the age of forty-one, I am returning to school and have to think of myself as what my French textbook calls "a true debutant."

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023