as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
the opening of the performing arts center proved to be a curtain-raiser for the rebirth of the city's downtown
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Recent Examples of curtain-raiser
This setting serves as a high-stakes curtain-raiser for the season.
—
David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
The curtain-raiser for the 2025 tennis season.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Now, that is pretty funny for a piece that was supposed to be a curtain-raiser, and Lynch swatted away my attempts to find out, well, anything at all.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025
Aston Martin alternates six sets of such containers globally in order to reach all 24 races in time, with the Doha shipment already en route to Australia for the 2025 curtain-raiser in March.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
Dyche also confirmed that captain Seamus Coleman (calf), James Garner (calf), Nathan Patterson (hamstring) and young striker Youssef Chermiti (foot) would also miss the weekend curtain-raiser against Brighton.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 15 Aug. 2024
This setting serves as a high-stakes curtain-raiser for the season.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
Now, that is pretty funny for a piece that was supposed to be a curtain-raiser, and Lynch swatted away my attempts to find out, well, anything at all.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025
Aston Martin alternates six sets of such containers globally in order to reach all 24 races in time, with the Doha shipment already en route to Australia for the 2025 curtain-raiser in March.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
The curtain-raiser for the 2025 tennis season.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Now, that is pretty funny for a piece that was supposed to be a curtain-raiser, and Lynch swatted away my attempts to find out, well, anything at all.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025
Aston Martin alternates six sets of such containers globally in order to reach all 24 races in time, with the Doha shipment already en route to Australia for the 2025 curtain-raiser in March.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
Dyche also confirmed that captain Seamus Coleman (calf), James Garner (calf), Nathan Patterson (hamstring) and young striker Youssef Chermiti (foot) would also miss the weekend curtain-raiser against Brighton.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 15 Aug. 2024
This setting serves as a high-stakes curtain-raiser for the season.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025
Now, that is pretty funny for a piece that was supposed to be a curtain-raiser, and Lynch swatted away my attempts to find out, well, anything at all.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025
Aston Martin alternates six sets of such containers globally in order to reach all 24 races in time, with the Doha shipment already en route to Australia for the 2025 curtain-raiser in March.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curtain-raiser
Noun
-
Many legal experts consider this questioning of a private right of action as the prelude to the next potential showdown over the Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court, where multiple rulings by the court's conservative majority have eroded the law's protections over the past decade.—
Hansi Lo Wang,
NPR,
14 May 2025
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And that was just the prelude to the evening’s main event: a runway show of the 163 jewels in Diorexquis, and 25 couture creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri, staged around an ornamental reflecting pool that, at 45 meters, stops just shy of Olympic dimensions.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
6 May 2025
Noun
-
Early preliminaries will air on ESPN+, Disney+, and UFC Fight Pass starting at 6 p.m. ET.—
Jim Varsallone,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Late preliminaries available on ESPN+, ESPN, Disney+, and ESPN Deportes at 8 p.m. ET.—
Jim Varsallone,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Curtain-raiser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curtain-raiser. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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