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• premiere
  premiere

  noun

  a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.
• première
  première

  noun

  premiere.

premiere

¹ American  

[pri-meer, -myair] / prɪˈmɪər, -ˈmjɛər /

French première

noun

• premieres
  plural

1. a first public performance or showing of a play, opera, film, etc.

2. the leading woman, as in a drama.

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verb (used with object)

premiered, premiering

1. to present publicly for the first time.

   to premiere a new foreign film.

verb (used without object)

premiered, premiering

1. to have the first public showing.

   It will premiere at the Arcadia Theater.

2. to perform publicly for the first time, as in a particular role, entertainment medium, etc..

   When does he premiere as Hamlet?

adjective

1. first; initial; principal.

   a premiere showing; the premiere attraction of the evening.

première ² American  

[pri-meer, -myair, pruh-myer] / prɪˈmɪər, -ˈmjɛər, prəˈmjɛr /

noun

• premières
  plural

1. premiere.

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premiere British  

/ ˈprɛmɪə, ˈprɛmɪˌɛə /

noun

1. the first public performance of a film, play, opera, etc

2. the leading lady in a theatre company

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verb

1. to give or be the first public performance of

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• premieres
  plural
• premières
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of premiere

First recorded in 1890–95; from French première literally, “first”; feminine of premier; see origin at premier

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

premiere première premieres premières premiered premiering

But the storied New York house thinks going big is its best hope: in the space of four days, it commissioned dual world premiere operas on two continents.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 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

A few days before the film’s New York premiere, a post on Holmes’s X account stated: “as we fight for freedom, my loved ones have helped manage my account.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

East West Players and Hypokrit Live Arts co-produced this Southern California premiere of “Wives,” directed by Hypokrit co-founder and artistic director Arpita Mukherjee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

This was followed by the premiere two years later of Cavalli's Ere ole amante in the Salle des Machines in the Tuileries, but the French had by this time developed a preference for ballet.

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

Ted Barron, their former professor, attended a première in Toronto, and searched for an appropriate comparison.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2019

The piece, entitled “Herz Schmerz,” or “heart pain,” a rhyme both silly and sad—and not a Walser quote—will première at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, in New York, on October 10th.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 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

Wonka's The Golden Ticket premieres on Netflix this week, with a two-part finale scheduled for 30 September.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

The CBS newsmagazine premieres its 59th season Sunday, following dramatic shake-ups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Season 4 of “Tulsa King” premieres Friday, Oct.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

“As I understand it, there’s a big twist that he would like audiences to discover as close together as possible,” she says of “Digger,” which premieres in London Sept. 22 before opening Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Live concerts in the nineteenth century had typically presented mostly premieres, with some familiar favourites sandwiched in alongside them.

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

He was mooching around film sets and premières, and the parts began rolling in.

From Economist ● Jun. 9, 2016

As I commented when Levine retired, the company’s record of world premières in the past forty years is embarrassing: only five of them, together with the American première of Nico Muhly’s “Two Boys.”

From The New Yorker ● Jun. 2, 2016

The designers have not sought celebrity endorsements for Alta Moda, and don’t give the dresses away for red-carpet premières.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 21, 2015

It was titled To the Stars, and three separate endings had been filmed, of which the appropriate one would of course be used in the eight separate world premières.

From Space Platform by Murray Leinster

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

Mitte, who, like his character Walter “Flynn” White Jr., had cerebral palsy, played an integral supporting role on the AMC series, which premiered in 2008 and lasted five seasons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

“Spider-Noir,” which premiered in May, is a “Spider-Man” project that put a 1930s crime-thriller spin on the web-slinging superhero.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

The spy thriller series is based on the best-selling novel Slow Horses by Mick Herron and premiered in 2022, with a seventh season set for release in 2027.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Then, in 1750, he premiered a controversial new work that was a box-office flop.

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

HHS officials still held the event, premiering a separate food effort, and saying they were continuing to work on the ultraprocessed food policy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

In May, he appeared as Anne Hathaway’s new love interest in the summer blockbuster “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” and this week he headlines not one, but two television series premiering on back-to-back days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 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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Related Words

• beginning
• debut
• opening

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