premiere

1 of 3

noun

pre·​miere pri-ˈmyer How to pronounce premiere (audio) -ˈmir How to pronounce premiere (audio)
-ˈmē-ər;
ˌpri-mē-ˈer
variants or less commonly première
plural premieres also premières
Synonyms of premierenext
1
: a first performance or exhibition
the premiere of a play
the show's premiere episode
2
: the chief actress of a theatrical cast

premiere

2 of 3

verb

pre·​miere pri-ˈmyer How to pronounce premiere (audio) -ˈmir How to pronounce premiere (audio)
-ˈmē-ər;
ˌpri-mē-ˈer
variants or less commonly première or premier
premiered also premièred; premiering also premièring

intransitive verb

1
: to have a first public performance
The movie/play will premiere next week.
2
: to appear for the first time as a star performer
He premiered in the title role on Broadway.

transitive verb

: to give a first public performance of
The movie was premiered at the film festival.

premiere

3 of 3

adjective

pre·​miere pri-ˈmyer How to pronounce premiere (audio) -ˈmir How to pronounce premiere (audio)
-ˈmē-ər;
ˌpri-mē-ˈer
: premier
In addition to the sporting events, Lillehammer also offers one of Norway's premiere cultural sites in the Maihaugen Open Air Museum …William E. Schmidt

Examples of premiere in a Sentence

Noun The movie will have its premiere next week. Verb The movie premieres next week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
At the movie's premiere on Monday, April 13, Hathaway spoke to PEOPLE about how Charli xcx provided insight on becoming a pop star. Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026 The news comes ahead of the Season 4 premiere on April 19. Selome Hailu, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
The series has been such a hit, season 3 got the green light months before season 2 even premiered. Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026 Euphoria also premiered last night. David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
That ranks second all time for a season premiere weekend on Disney+ in the region, behind only the first season of Loki in 2021. Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026 There are many more overt examples of Silicon Valley misbehavior sprinkled through the premiere episode of The Audacity, but the essence of Jonathan Glatzer’s tech-world satire may be in this digital billboard that appears on the side of the road. Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for premiere

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(sense 1) borrowed from French première, short for première représentation "first performance"; (sense 2) probably noun derivative of premiere entry 3

Verb

verb derivative of premiere entry 1

Adjective

alteration of premier entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1927, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Adjective

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of premiere was in 1768

Cite this Entry

“Premiere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/premiere. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

premiere

1 of 2 noun
: a first performance or showing
premiere of a play

premiere

2 of 2 adjective

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