: a bill (see bill entry 4 sense 5a) advertising a public performance or set of performances
A playbill—an early poster—advertising Shakespeare's Hamlet at Newcastle's original Theatre Royal in Mosley Street in December 1791 was discovered among prints bought in an auction sale …—
Tony Henderson
Tony HendersonSo the two began plastering up playbills and cultivating a badboy image.—Logan Hill
Logan Hill
—used for a theater program (see program entry 1 sense 2a)
Examples of playbill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
The moment mirrors the iconic artwork from the original Broadway poster, still displayed outside the Gershwin Theatre, currently home to the Broadway production of Wicked, in New York, as well as the show’s playbill.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 23 Nov. 2025
Rainn Wilson, who portrayed the iconic assistant (to the) regional manager on the series, posted a photo alongside his former costar while holding an Ashland Avenue playbill in September.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
The show’s scenic design of an apartment filled with books and playbills and a chalkboard wall was designed by Atria Pirouzmand and Ali Roustaei, Janelle Arnold designed costumes, Evan Eason designed sound and Sammy Z Webster designed lighting.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
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Noun
Other photos in the star’s carousel included a visit to Golden Diner with indie rocker Girlpuppy (real name Rebecca Harvey) and playbills from the Broadway play Liberation and the Off-Broadway show Queens, as well as a shot of the Minnie Mouse balloon from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
The moment mirrors the iconic artwork from the original Broadway poster, still displayed outside the Gershwin Theatre, currently home to the Broadway production of Wicked, in New York, as well as the show’s playbill.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 23 Nov. 2025
Rainn Wilson, who portrayed the iconic assistant (to the) regional manager on the series, posted a photo alongside his former costar while holding an Ashland Avenue playbill in September.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
The show’s scenic design of an apartment filled with books and playbills and a chalkboard wall was designed by Atria Pirouzmand and Ali Roustaei, Janelle Arnold designed costumes, Evan Eason designed sound and Sammy Z Webster designed lighting.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playbill
Cite this Entry
“Playbill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playbill. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
playbill
noun
play·bill
ˈplā-ˌbil 
: a poster advertising a play
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