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
The Supercopa de España began in 1982 as a quick curtain-raiser between the La Liga champions and the Copa del Rey winners, usually over two legs.
—
Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
The show is something of a curtain-raiser for the holiday and Christmas period for the royals as the show is broadcast in December on ITV1 in the U.K.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 2025
Wahlberg was in Cannes with co-star Sonequa Martin-Green for the world premiere of Boston Blue, which was a curtain-raiser for the MIPCOM event.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025
Dense, yet never overwhelming, The Sanhedrin Chronicles is merely the curtain-raiser for an epic spanning multiple sequels.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Neither outfit managed to find the back of the net in their curtain-raiser and collide at the London Stadium, aiming to finally get off the mark.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
The show is something of a curtain-raiser for the holiday and Christmas period for the royals as the show is broadcast in December on ITV1 in the U.K.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 2025
Wahlberg was in Cannes with co-star Sonequa Martin-Green for the world premiere of Boston Blue, which was a curtain-raiser for the MIPCOM event.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025
Dense, yet never overwhelming, The Sanhedrin Chronicles is merely the curtain-raiser for an epic spanning multiple sequels.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Neither outfit managed to find the back of the net in their curtain-raiser and collide at the London Stadium, aiming to finally get off the mark.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for curtain-raiser
Noun
-
The Senate has come up with a plan (SB 318) that is a sensible prelude to getting the voucher program under control.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In a prelude to parties across America the following year, the queen had invited the chairmen of state bicentennial commissions from the 13 rebellious Colonies to mark the good will that had grown between the former enemies in the intervening two centuries.—
Paul Edward Parker,
The Providence Journal,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Lower‑demand preliminaries will likely be the most affordable, while high‑profile events—gymnastics finals, swimming finals, track and field, and the opening ceremony—will sit at the top end of the pricing spectrum.—
Paris Wilson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Jan. 2026
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Is it reduced to yet another fill-in-the-blank preliminary to a national title game in some super-duper-they-look-alike stadium?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Curtain-raiser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/curtain-raiser. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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