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showtime

American  
[shoh-tahym] / ˈʃoʊˌtaɪm /

noun

  1. the time at which an entertainment is scheduled to begin.

Etymology

Origin of showtime

show + time

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.

But the broadcaster quietly announced hours before showtime that the segment would "air in a future broadcast," replacing it with a piece on the sherpas working on Mount Everest.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

Half an hour before showtime on this sunny Saturday afternoon, I’m one of the only patrons in the lobby.

From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025

“It’s showtime: Gen X needs to do something,” Hannon said.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025

But when every showtime at his Pennsylvania and Delaware theaters had strong presales, he added screens.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025

Now it was showtime and the first game of the season.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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.