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Synonyms

command performance

American  

noun

  1. a performance of a play, opera, ballet, or the like, given at the request of a sovereign or head of state.

command performance British  

noun

  1. a performance of a play, opera, etc, at the request of a ruler or of royalty

"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
command performance Idioms  

  1. An occasion that one is obliged to attend, as in My boss's invitations to dinner are always a command performance. This term originally (late 1800s) denoted a theatrical or musical performance presented at the behest of a sovereign or head of state. By the 1930s it was also used figuratively for any more or less obligatory occasion or performance.

Etymology

Origin of command performance

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

Get a command performance from that array of receivers who put on a show in Brazil.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025

“Lee Zeldin’s command performance, despite coming up a little short, and quality candidates who really worked tirelessly in their districts, produced a great win for us,” Rep.-elect Marc Molinaro said.

From Washington Times • Nov. 14, 2022

They were chauffeured around London by the Prince of Wales himself, pre-abdication, after a command performance for Edward and his not-yet-wife Wallis Simpson.

From Washington Post • May 22, 2022

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was such a fan of the series that she requested the cast give a command performance on Nov. 21, 1988.

From Fox News • Dec. 31, 2021

Terryl was doing a command performance for her debate team, arguing about the deleterious impact of violence in advertising.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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.