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
The couple played chaperone to her niece at the actor's premiere, where Amal wore a playful Antonio Berardi fit-and-flare dress and silver heels. Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026 Khoshnoudi will be in person in Toronto for a series of Q&As and the Canadian premiere of her 2025 film, The Vanishing Point, which screen on March 14. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
After the show premiered in September 2024, Yelp saw a more than 600% increase in dirty soda searches from the prior year. Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026 Less than three months later, Laverne & Shirley premiered on ABC on January 27, 1976. Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
At the Mercy premiere event, Chris also shared his love language. Brian Anthony Hernandez, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026 The look, much like McAdams’ London premiere dress, featured a dark tone and surprising statement elements. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 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 6 Feb. 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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