premiere
noun
a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.
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:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is due to premiere on Christmas this year on HBO Max.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Afro-Punk” will premiere in Los Angeles and New York, with a special screening and book talk on Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center with former S.O.A. and Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Hope Street star's 2017 novel is based on his hometown and will premiere this weekend.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
It seems like every new project, every red carpet premiere brings “shocking” stories of his “new look.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
In 1891 he announced the premiere of his new opera, Tristan’s Bastard, poking fun at Wagner.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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
Neuwirth’s “Orlando,” a radical feminist adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel, recently had its première at the Vienna State Opera.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 30, 2019
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
Notable performances include the world premieres of a work choreographed by ex-New York City Ballet principal Jock Soto and a piece by contemporary dancer and choreographer Sidra Bell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Zainab, who is Muslim and wears a hijab, is also often one of the only people covering her hair at premieres, but she says finding ways to incorporate modest wear is part of the fun.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
“Furious,” which premieres Monday on Hulu, is technically a serial killer story, since there are multiple murders committed by a single character, but happily that is the least of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” premieres at 9 p.m.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
I was invited to dozens of parties a week: art-gallery openings, benefit balls, movie premieres, book parties, and private dinners in marble- floored dining rooms.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
I’ll just trust you to catch up on the whole thing so that you can watch the final season, which premières in January.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 11, 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
The most arresting of the world premières was Ashley Fure’s “Bound to the Bow,” which appeared on a program by the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, at Geffen Hall.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 20, 2016
He was mooching around film sets and premières, and the parts began rolling in.
From Economist ● Jun. 9, 2016
For us poor people who find ourselves aux premières loges, these uncertainties are most unsatisfactory.
From The Letters of Queen Victoria : A Selection from Her Majesty's Correspondence between the Years 1837 and 1861 Volume 3, 1854-1861 by Arthur Christopher Benson
A month before the documentary premiered on Netflix, a passenger was partially sucked through a broken window on a 737-800 Boeing plane when the cabin lost pressure after the plane took off from Thessaloniki, Greece.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
When “It Ends” premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2025, it was not exactly the runaway darling of the year’s programming.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
The music-flavored drama, which premiered in 2012, starred Connie Britton as country star Rayna Jaymes, whose career was on the downturn at the same time Barnes was climbing the charts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The bet paid off when their do-it-yourself season premiered on Netflix in 2024 and went to No. 1.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
It was quite a different sight a year later when Monteverdi’s new opera, Arianna, premiered.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
The months-long integration of Disney+ and Hulu appears to have reached a tipping point, with nearly everything premiering on Hulu this month also available on Disney+.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The same is true of the deal’s union opponents in Hollywood who worry the merger could result in fewer of their films premiering on the big screen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The result is “Questioning,” a 55-minute theatrical production premiering July 10 at New Theater Hollywood before traveling to Art Basel Miami Beach in December and, eventually, museums and gallery spaces as a room-based installation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Signatories included French superstar Juliette Binoche as well as director Arthur Harari, who co-wrote the Oscar-winning "Anatomy of a Fall" in 2023 and is premiering his film "The Unknown" in the main competition in Cannes.
From Barron's ● May 17, 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
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.
