premiere
noun
a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.
premiere
1 American
[pri-meer, -myair]
/ prɪˈmɪər, -ˈmjɛər /
French
première
noun
-
premieres
plural
-
a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.
-
the leading woman, as in a drama.
verb (used with object)
premiered,
premiering
verb (used without object)
premiered,
premiering
-
to have the first public showing.
It will premiere at the Arcadia Theater.
-
to perform publicly for the first time, as in a particular role, entertainment medium, etc..
When does he premiere as Hamlet?
adjective
première
2
American
[pri-meer, -myair, pr uh-myer]
/ prɪˈmɪər, -ˈmjɛər, prəˈmjɛr /
noun
-
premières
plural
premiere
British
/ ˈprɛmɪə, ˈprɛmɪˌɛə /
noun
-
the first public performance of a film, play, opera, etc
-
the leading lady in a theatre company
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of premiere
First recorded in 1890–95; from French première literally, “first”; feminine of premier; see origin at premier
Explanation
A premiere is the first showing of a work of art. A movie premiere often takes place in Los Angeles or New York, with stars in attendance and the iconic red carpet rolled out to greet them. Premiere comes from the French première, which means "first." The French origin probably accounts for the word's being seen as elegant and exciting. Over time, premiere has spawned its own verb––to premiere means to perform or be performed for the first time.
Vocabulary lists containing premiere
English Words Derived from French, List 3
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Academy Awards, List 4
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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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:
The Golf Channel postponed its scheduled Aug. 25 premiere date of the reality show “Big Break x Good Good” after one of its sponsors asked for its branding to be removed from the show.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
In May, Handler will lead the West Coast premiere of John Williams’ new Piano Concerto written for, and performed by, Emanuel Ax.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
By the time the BBC launched the cult cinema series Moviedrome in 1988, external, there was only one choice for opening night - the premiere of a previously unseen edit of The Wicker Man.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Many of the Shetland cast and crew plan to attend the premiere of Wrath of the Gods at the horror festival FrightFest in London on Friday.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
My parents attended the premiere, sitting cross-legged on one of the padded mats spread like islands across the filthy concrete floor.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
One of Ms. Zeani's career highlights was singing the lead role of Blanche in the première of Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues of the Carmelites” at La Scala in 1957.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
On Monday the outgoing PM, Jean Castex, called Ms Borne "première ministre" - a feminine form of the usual "premier ministre" - to underline the historical significance of her appointment.
From BBC ● May 17, 2022
Abrahamsen upends that dynamic by choosing to give the role to a male singer—at the première, the formidable Danish bass-baritone Johan Reuter.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 30, 2019
“It feels like we won, but we lost—because it’s not ours anymore,” Josh said, at the Lincoln Center première.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2019
I told Doreen I would not go to the show or the luncheon or the film première, but that I would not go to Coney Island either, I would stay in bed.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
This week the madness leaps from the stage to the screen as Stamptown premieres its first Netflix special Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
He’s racked up more than six dozen premieres of new works, and he’s not done yet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Notable performances include the world premieres of a work choreographed by ex-New York City Ballet principal Jock Soto and a piece by contemporary dancer and choreographer Sidra Bell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Zainab, who is Muslim and wears a hijab, is also often one of the only people covering her hair at premieres, but she says finding ways to incorporate modest wear is part of the fun.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Live concerts in the nineteenth century had typically presented mostly premieres, with some familiar favourites sandwiched in alongside them.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Stevens’s background was in developing new plays, and under his watch, C.T.C. began to mount regional and world premières, some of which would go on to have life elsewhere.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 17, 2018
The most arresting of the world premières was Ashley Fure’s “Bound to the Bow,” which appeared on a program by the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, at Geffen Hall.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 20, 2016
He was mooching around film sets and premières, and the parts began rolling in.
From Economist ● Jun. 9, 2016
That conceit, of the naturalized citizen serving as a ringleader for an inquisition into American history, is the notional germ of Ferguson’s new show, “Join or Die,” which premières on the History channel tonight.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 18, 2016
Furies trip measures and strike attitudes in pink tights and draperies of unæsthetic hues, when not engaged in witnessing, with qualified interest, incidental dances by two premières danseuses.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, November 15, 1890 by Various
When “Transamerica” premiered, the average American didn’t spend much time thinking about bathroom gender markers, much less trying to understand the intricacies of the trans experience.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
When “It Ends” premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2025, it was not exactly the runaway darling of the year’s programming.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
The bet paid off when their do-it-yourself season premiered on Netflix in 2024 and went to No. 1.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The action takes place in New York City but much of the movie, which premiered in London this week, was filmed more than 3,000 miles away in Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Then, in 1750, he premiered a controversial new work that was a box-office flop.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Season 2 of the Peabody Award-winning series about two hockey rivals entangled in a heated romance is still months away from premiering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The months-long integration of Disney+ and Hulu appears to have reached a tipping point, with nearly everything premiering on Hulu this month also available on Disney+.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The same is true of the deal’s union opponents in Hollywood who worry the merger could result in fewer of their films premiering on the big screen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Signatories included French superstar Juliette Binoche as well as director Arthur Harari, who co-wrote the Oscar-winning "Anatomy of a Fall" in 2023 and is premiering his film "The Unknown" in the main competition in Cannes.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
Through sheer coincidence, around the same time Mom was doing her research on the club, a documentary film about Peter Westbrook himself was premiering in New York City.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
