debut
Americannoun
-
debuts
plural
-
a first public appearance on a stage, on television, etc.
-
the first appearance of something, as a new product.
-
(of a young woman) a formal introduction and entrance into society, as at an annual ball.
-
the beginning of a profession, career, etc.
verb (used without object)
-
debuts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
debuted,
past participle, past
-
debuting
present participle
-
to make a debut, as in society or in a performing art.
She decided to debut with several other violinists.
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to appear for the first time, as on the market.
A new product will debut next month.
verb (used with object)
-
debuts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
debuted,
past participle, past
-
debuting
present participle
-
to perform (something) for the first time before an audience.
He didn't know when the orchestra would debut his new symphony.
-
to place on the market for the first time; introduce.
adjective
noun
-
-
the first public appearance of an actor, musician, etc, or the first public presentation of a show
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( as modifier )
debut album
-
-
the presentation of a debutante
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
debutsimple
-
debutssimple
-
have debutedperfect
-
has debutedperfect
-
am debutingprogressive
-
are debutingprogressive
-
is debutingprogressive
-
have been debutingperfect progressive
-
has been debutingperfect progressive
Past
-
debutedsimple
-
had debutedperfect
-
was debutingprogressive
-
were debutingprogressive
-
had been debutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of debut
1745–55; < French début, derivative of débuter to make the first stroke in a game, make one's first appearance, equivalent to dé- de- + -buter, verbal derivative of but goal; see butt 2
Explanation
A debut is a first appearance, a launch, or public introduction. So before you make your big debut at the office, check and make sure you don't have spinach in your teeth. Perhaps you’ve heard of debutantes making their official debut into society, or actresses and actors making their debut on stage. A fun fact: debut and premiere are often thought to be interchangeable, but they’re not. A debut, as you now know, is a first public appearance. But a premiere, while also a “first,” isn't necessarily live. When a movie opens or an interview is broadcast for the first time, they're called premieres.
Vocabulary lists containing debut
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English Words Derived from French, List 2
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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:
Count “Tear the City Down,” former NFL running back Andre Hardy’s debut, out Sept. 1, in the latter category.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Funnily enough, when Dolly Parton made her debut on “The Porter Wagoner Show,” she wasn’t wearing any rhinestones.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
When she graduated, she released music steadily: A trio of EPs and a Live at the Jazz Cafe collection preceded her debut full-length in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Anthropic, the OpenAI rival that bet everything on computer coding, is expected to go public within weeks in a listing that could eclipse SpaceX's record Wall Street debut in June.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
This was Ernest’s debut on the national stage.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Newcastle United's young signings did not look fazed when they faced Liverpool on their Premier League debuts at the weekend.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The drama, which debuts Nov. 11, was created by a 31-year-old first-time showrunner, Quinn Shephard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Children of Blood and Bone” debuts in theaters on Jan. 15, 2027.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
Thursday's listing is the latest in a recent run of blockbuster debuts from Chinese AI-related companies in Hong Kong, indicating optimism for China's ambitions in the sector.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
"Tonight was one of the strongest debuts I think we've had since my maman was still alive."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
In June, Disneyland debuted a new audio-animatronic figure in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Panettiere’s star rose exponentially, however, in 2006 when she debuted as indestructible Texas cheerleader Claire Bennet in “Heroes,” which quickly became a massive hit for its network NBC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The British actor, who debuted in Game of Thrones aged 11 and uses they/them pronouns, says they had consciously decided not to behave like a stereotypical teenager after hearing criticisms from adults.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The company debuted on the Nasdaq on June 12 at $135 a share, and the stock quickly surged.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
At the Pacific Rim Championships in April 2016, I debuted a brand-new, upgraded floor routine set to fast, upbeat samba music that I thought would go over well with the crowd in Rio.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
They became roommates and teammates, debuting in the same year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Yet her latest documentary, debuting on Netflix Wednesday, is “Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing,” which portrays the airplane maker’s continuing malfeasance as not just greedy but malevolent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
After debuting the Muse Spark 1.0 model in April, Meta followed up with the release of Muse Image and Muse Spark 1.1 in July.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Nvidia chief Jensen Huang joined X last week, debuting on the platform with a letter defending open AI models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
At Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx, players were debuting numbered uniforms: Lou Gehrig wore No. 4; Babe Ruth, about to hit his five hundredth home run, wore No. 3.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
