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
-
( 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:
With their debut full-length self-titled album released Friday, the same day as their first Hollywood Bowl appearance supporting Al Green, this moment was not handed to them on a silver platter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The recent move could set up the firm for a public debut this year, though there are no guarantees the firm will proceed, and the plans partly depend on market conditions, the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Soon after Cindy’s feeder made its debut, a raccoon arrived, made himself at home on the ledge, and helped himself to some sunflower seeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
In fourth, "Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie" hoovered up an estimated $20.5 million for Paramount on its debut weekend.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The horseless carriage was just arriving in San Francisco, and its debut was turning into one of those colorfully unmitigated disasters that bring misery to everyone but historians.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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
Wall Street is scrutinizing their business performance more closely than ever ahead of their market debuts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
He would do the same with Anthropic and OpenAI, as the leading AI developers eye $1 trillion stock market debuts, Lim adds.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 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
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
Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions have a long and lucrative partnership with Netflix, which recently debuted “Happy Gilmore 2” and announced “Grown Ups 3” as part of their deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The company debuted on the Nasdaq on June 12 at $135 a share, and the stock quickly surged.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
The title just debuted at #12 on the New York Times combined print and e-book nonfiction bestseller list.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 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
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
Since debuting last week, it has drawn industry attention, with many viewing it as a strong competitor to leading Western AI systems.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
DeepSeek has emerged as one of China’s leading AI companies after debuting a powerful, low-cost AI model a year ago, bolstering Beijing’s ambitions in the global AI race with the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
In 2009, Davis performed another feat by returning a slumping Houston to the top of the charts with the comeback album, “I Look to You,” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 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.
