debut

1 of 2

noun

de·​but ˈdā-ˌbyü 

dā-ˈbyü

variants or less commonly début

1

: a first appearance

made her singing debut

the writer's debut novel

2

: a formal entrance into society

in honor of their daughter's debut

debut

2 of 2

verb

debuted; debuting; debuts

intransitive verb

: to make a first appearance or a formal entrance into society : to make a debut

transitive verb

: to present to the public for the first time : introduce

debut a new product

Examples of debut in a Sentence

Noun

my debut as a pianist

He made his singing debut at a very young age.

She is making her television debut.

Verb

The singer debuted 10 years ago, at the age of 15.

The car debuted 30 years ago.

The computer will soon be debuting in stores across the country.

The network debuts a new sitcom tonight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Mogwai, who would make their debut the year after Beat was released and with whom Bowery Electric would share a bill, would crouch in similarly unassuming and tense postures and use them to spring out and scare the bejeezus out of people. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026

Coming off a big box office start for the Collen Hoover thriller, Johnson is joined by Turnstile as musical guest, the Maryland rockers’ SNL debut. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2026

Verb

Formed in 2012, Polaris broke through with 2017’s The Mortal Coil and 2020’s The Death of Me, both of which debuted in the Australian Top 10 and earned ARIA nominations for best hard rock/heavy metal album. — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2026

Rock band Turnstile debuted on Saturday Night Live with the first single and a two-song medley off of their Grammy-winning album Never Enough. — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

French début, from débuter to begin, from Middle French desbuter to play first, from des- de- + but starting point, goal — more at butt entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1830, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for debut

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

debut

1 of 2 noun

de·​but ˈdā-ˌbyü  dā-ˈbyü 

1

: a first public appearance

my debut as a pianist

2

: a formal entrance into society

debut

2 of 2 verb

1

: to make a debut

2

: to present to society for the first time

debut a new product