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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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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.

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

On that show’s playbill, Rubin was listed as an associate producer.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2023

The last known playbill for an African Theater production was dated June 1823.

From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2021

With the group behind the Golden Globes in crisis, here’s a playbill of the key actors in the drama that threatens the existence of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2021

She keeps the playbill in a binder at home, with the programs from the sixty-plus New York shows she has seen since.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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