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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Morris’s 2025 “Pizzica,” the newest of the works here, had its New York premiere on the “Jazz and Pop” program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Pressler said Nolan and his family "were very moved" when they saw the pieces at the US premiere of the film.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The studio skipped last year's event, but will be back at the coveted Hall H on Saturday to promote "Avengers: Doomsday," which is slated to premiere in December.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Aipa was fatally wounded on Aug. 2, 2025, after attending a movie premiere during the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 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
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
Notwithstanding the conservatism of the opera business, many top houses offer a world première every season or two.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 30, 2019
When the movie was done, they staged an ersatz Hollywood première at a theatre in Westwood, with a limo hired by one boy’s parents.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 4, 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
The event was reportedly the first of a limited number of premieres and screenings planned for this summer to support a 12-month renovation set to begin this fall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
“Love Island USA” Season 8 premieres Tuesday, sans Montgomery, and will feature a number of SoCal bombshells among its cast in Fuji.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
The Cannes Film Festival wraps up today after two weeks of marathon screenings, black-tie gala premieres and beach parties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
“Interview with the Vampire” premieres at 9 p.m.
From Salon ● May 13, 2024
“It’s not like I went to red-carpet premieres or fancy clubs or anything. Mostly I just went into LA for field trips and stuff.”
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Stevens’s background was in developing new plays, and under his watch, C.T.C. began to mount regional and world premières, some of which would go on to have life elsewhere.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 17, 2018
I would see knots of critics at performances, gaggles of them at big premières.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 13, 2017
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
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
Campbell appeared on the family's reality programmes multiple times since they were first brought into the spotlight with Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which premiered in 2007.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
When the trailer for the adaptation premiered, Lesa Rubin, 60, and her daughter Katy Tometich, 34, dissected it together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The New York Philharmonic premiered David Lang’s luminous “the wealth of nations.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
She recently returned to the spotlight with a starring role in the Prime Video series “Every Year After,” which premiered on June 10 and marked the actress’ first major project since 2022.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Two: The new season of Queen of Neat premiered in a few short hours, and Abby was staying to watch it with me.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival last year and releasing at the beginning of May, it has become a word-of-mouth phenomenon over the last two months with fright-loving Gen Z audiences in particular.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Hollywood star John Travolta has been surprised with an honourary Palme d'Or, the Cannes equivalent of a lifetime achievement award, while premiering his directorial debut at the film festival.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
In the Lifetime movie “Love, Again,” premiering at 8 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Netflix has previously dabbled with theatrical releases, typically putting movies in several hundred cinemas for a few weeks at most before premiering them online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 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.
