preview

1 of 2

verb

pre·​view ˈprē-ˌvyü 

previewed; previewing; previews

transitive verb

1

: to see beforehand

specifically : to view or to show in advance of public presentation

2

: to give a preliminary survey of

previewer

ˈprē-ˌvyü-ər 

noun

preview

2 of 2

noun

1

: an advance statement, sample, or survey

2

: an advance showing or performance (as of a movie or play)

3

or less commonly prevue

ˈprē-ˌvyü 

: a selected group of scenes shown to advertise a movie, television show, etc.

called also trailer

Examples of preview in a Sentence

Verb

The designers will preview their new lines at the fashion show.

They previewed the upcoming football season.

You can preview the page before you print it.

Noun

We saw the movie at a special preview.

Before the movie starts they always show previews of coming attractions.

There are previews of the next week's episode at the end of each show.

They gave a preview of the upcoming football season.

The magazine includes a preview of the newest fall fashions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Third in a series previewing the Broncos’ 2026 roster in the weeks leading up to the start of training camp in late July. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 July 2026

Westfalia has previewed the Columbus Liner pre-production prototype ahead of an official world premiere at next month's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. — New Atlas, 15 July 2026

Noun

Directed by Nolan from his screen adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey played in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

The cooking show served as a preview of the second World Humanoid Robot Games, which will take place in Beijing from August 22 to 26. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing preview

• sneak preview

Rhymes for preview

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

Kids Definition

preview

1 of 2 verb

pre·​view ˈprē-ˌvyü 

: to view or show in advance

preview

2 of 2 noun

1

: a showing of something (as a movie) before regular showings

2

also prevue

-ˌvyü 

: a showing of bits from a movie that is to be shown in the near future