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Synonyms

first night

American  

noun

  1. opening night.

first night British  

noun

    1. the first public performance of a play or other production

    2. ( as modifier )

      first-night nerves
"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 first night

First recorded in 1705–15

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.

It is more cost-effective to spend the first night in New York rather than get to Boston very late and pay a higher hotel cost.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

While we’re focusing here on the weeklong utility of a single chicken, I’ll admit: the first night, I want it to feel like a bit of a moment.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

Injured on the first night of the battle, he was resting in the pouring rain beneath a tree when Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman found him.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

Jack Johnson headlined the first night and Roger Waters closed the main stage, performing Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and letting a giant inflatable pig loose in the sky.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Last night was the first night I haven’t felt lonely in Gram’s house since she died.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

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.