premiere
noun
a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.
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premiere
1 American
[pri-meer, -myair]
/ prɪˈmɪər, -ˈmjɛər /
French
première
noun
-
premieres
plural
-
a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.
-
the leading woman, as in a drama.
verb (used with object)
premiered,
premiering
verb (used without object)
premiered,
premiering
-
to have the first public showing.
It will premiere at the Arcadia Theater.
-
to perform publicly for the first time, as in a particular role, entertainment medium, etc..
When does he premiere as Hamlet?
adjective
première
2
American
[pri-meer, -myair, pr uh-myer]
/ prɪˈmɪər, -ˈmjɛər, prəˈmjɛr /
noun
-
premières
plural
premiere
British
/ ˈprɛmɪə, ˈprɛmɪˌɛə /
noun
-
the first public performance of a film, play, opera, etc
-
the leading lady in a theatre company
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of premiere
First recorded in 1890–95; from French première literally, “first”; feminine of premier; see origin at premier
Explanation
A premiere is the first showing of a work of art. A movie premiere often takes place in Los Angeles or New York, with stars in attendance and the iconic red carpet rolled out to greet them. Premiere comes from the French première, which means "first." The French origin probably accounts for the word's being seen as elegant and exciting. Over time, premiere has spawned its own verb––to premiere means to perform or be performed for the first time.
Vocabulary lists containing premiere
English Words Derived from French, List 3
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Academy Awards, List 4
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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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:
At the documentary’s surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in September, Fielder acknowledged that his relationship with Evans had deteriorated as the project unfolded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The season premiere in September managed 7.94 million, a 21% drop from 2025 and the weakest opening this century.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The first teaser trailer dropped last month, right after the film's surprise premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
This North American premiere features music by Maxime Jerry Fraisse, and incorporates new and existing tracks from the contemporary Irish folk band Lankum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
“They gather on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and during full moons and new moons, and also for the season premiere and finale of Game of Thrones.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
One of Ms. Zeani's career highlights was singing the lead role of Blanche in the première of Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues of the Carmelites” at La Scala in 1957.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
On Monday the outgoing PM, Jean Castex, called Ms Borne "première ministre" - a feminine form of the usual "premier ministre" - to underline the historical significance of her appointment.
From BBC ● May 17, 2022
The second season of “Ted Lasso” will première on July 23rd.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 15, 2021
Ted Barron, their former professor, attended a première in Toronto, and searched for an appropriate comparison.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2019
I told Doreen I would not go to the show or the luncheon or the film première, but that I would not go to Coney Island either, I would stay in bed.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Arriving in theaters this fall after multiple splashy film festival premieres, it announces the 38-year-old actress, best known for playing a bedraggled spy in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, as a potential Oscar contender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Wonka's The Golden Ticket premieres on Netflix this week, with a two-part finale scheduled for 30 September.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Season 4 of “Tulsa King” premieres Friday, Oct.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Risk-aversion on the part of budget-conscious studio executives means many studios have preferred to launch films through their own tightly controlled premieres instead of at festivals, which provide no guarantee of rave reviews from critics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
By the second half of the twentieth century this was certainly not the case for premieres of new operas or symphonies.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Whereas Barber liked to spend weekends quietly tending to the racehorses he owns, Ulrich liked going to parties and premières.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 27, 2018
Now CBS has jumped into the ring: “The Good Fight,” which premières Sunday, transports viewers back to May, 2016, when “The Good Wife” was still on the air.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 18, 2017
Now Morgan is asking us to spend ten more hours in the Queen’s company, with the sumptuous and surprisingly engrossing Netflix series “The Crown,” which premières today.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 4, 2016
He was mooching around film sets and premières, and the parts began rolling in.
From Economist ● Jun. 9, 2016
In 1842, she went to Paris, where she soon took rank with the best jeunes premières of the capital.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 61, No. 376, February, 1847 by Various
Co-directed by comedian Nathan Fielder and filmmaker Lance Oppenheim, “You Can See Everything” has been the subject of crescendoing buzz since it premiered as a surprise screening last month at the Telluride Film Festival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Back in the spring, before “La Bola Negra” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Guitarrica embarked on his first U.S. tour, stopping in Los Angeles at the Roxy in March.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Celebrating 20 years of 30 Rock: Join Slate’s culture team in toasting Tina Fey’s iconic sitcom, which premiered 20 years ago this month.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
As long as television exists, “The Twilight Zone,” which premiered on Oct.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
His iconic Messiah, though, was uniquely premiered in Dublin - then Britain’s second-largest city - in 1742.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
This is the brilliant way writer-director Jesse Eisenberg thrusts us into his third — and best — feature, “The Debut,” screening at this year’s New York Film Festival and premiering in theaters December 11.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
He will play the lead role in the upcoming ITV drama The Party premiering on 11 October.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The delightful “Cupertino,” also premiering Thursday, comes from Robert and Michelle King, whose other current CBS show is “Elsbeth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Based on the popular book series by Julia Quinn, “Bridgerton” has been a hit with audiences since premiering in 2020.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Through sheer coincidence, around the same time Mom was doing her research on the club, a documentary film about Peter Westbrook himself was premiering in New York City.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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