a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.
the leading woman, as in a drama.
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?
the first public performance of a film, play, opera, etc
the leading lady in a theatre company
First recorded in 1890–95; from French première literally, “first”; feminine of premier; see origin at premier
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.
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And for the real dragon-heads, my colleagues Nadira Goffe and Rebecca Onion break down the premiere in their piece: “House of the Dragon Returns With the Mother of All Betrayals.”
From Slate • Jun. 22, 2026
Last year, Netflix struck a deal for the worldwide premiere rights to “Sesame Street,” after Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
The bonus was that Ella Maisy Purvis made Patience Evans an endearingly awkward ad-hoc detective during the show’s premiere season.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Another small island making a premiere showing is Cape Verde.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
It was like some horrible nightmare where she was walking the red carpet of a fancy movie premiere in an aluminum-foil hat and rubber-duckie rain boots, and why was this happening to her?
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
