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Synonyms

playbill

American  
[pley-bil] / ˈpleɪˌbɪl /

noun

  1. a program or announcement of a play.


playbill British  
/ ˈpleɪˌbɪl /

noun

  1. a poster or bill advertising a play

  2. the programme of a play

"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 playbill

First recorded in 1665–75; play + bill 1

Explanation

The little booklet you get when you go to the theater is called a playbill. A playbill usually includes a list of the cast and production crew. You can also call a playbill a program. At most theaters in the U.S., playbills are handed out to everyone in the audience as they enter. If you attend a Broadway play, you'll get a thick playbill with a lot of information about the play, the actors, and the venue—as well as a lot of advertising. A community theater or school production usually provides smaller, simpler playbills.

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Vocabulary lists containing playbill

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.

Mnouchkine, herself an epic narrator of historical events, is named as an inspiration several times in the playbill, and her influence was clear throughout.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2023

His starting point, according to the playbill, was his own fractured family history: His father left Algeria after the country’s bloody war for independence, yet fell on hard times in France.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2023

Growing up, I don’t have a memory of knowing what a gay person looked like, except my parents saw “La Cage aux Folles,” and I think I saw a picture for that on the playbill.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2020

At the end of Part 1 of the program at Carnegie Hall, they performed composer Mykola Leontovych’s arrangement of a traditional Ukrainian song the playbill called “Shtshedryk.”

From Slate • Dec. 19, 2019

Krause being Krause, she has another totem from Falsettos—a tattoo on her right ankle that is a replica of the cover art on the playbill from Broadway.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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