preview

1 of 2

verb

pre·​view ˈprē-ˌvyü How to pronounce preview (audio)
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 noun

preview

2 of 2

noun

1
: an advance statement, sample, or survey
2
: an advance showing or performance (as of a motion picture or play)
3
or less commonly prevue : 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
The 2024 Academy Awards are coming up this Sunday, and returning host Jimmy Kimmel is previewing what film fans can expect in his opening monologue. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 In a new blog post, Rocksteady says that yes, the plan is still to get Suicide Squad’s Joker season, which was previewed before the game even went live, out in March. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 More recently, the couple stepped into some of the most iconic movie costumes of all time to parody various films while previewing their 2024 Oscars post-show. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Guests had the privilege of privately previewing (it isn’t expected to be released until March 19). Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2024 The company plans to preview a new 400-square-foot one-bedroom model at TinyFest. Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement, said the operation will not require that American troops be on the ground to build the pier that is intended to allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential items. CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024 Now that the Swifties have officially infiltrated the NFL, what better place for Taylor Swift to preview Reputation (Taylor's Version) than on a documentary series about the New England Patriots? Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 7 Mar. 2024 Intel announced new automotive-target SoCs at CES earlier this year, while AMD previewed a new solution that combines its processor and FPGA technologies. Steve McDowell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
The setting for Automatic super resolution was detected by a Windows sleuth in preview code. PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024 Sony’s spring event pic Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has started off its North American box office run with $4.7 million in Thursday previews before rolling out everywhere on Friday. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Mar. 2024 In a new two-minute preview, the longtime agent — who refers to himself as Mr. Super Prime — gives a rundown of his personal history, as well as his current ambitions for his independent agency DDRE Global. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024 But Intra-Cellular’s treatment, already approved for schizophrenia and bipolar depression, could have a leg up on past contenders, Adam explains in a detailed preview of the company’s upcoming results. Damian Garde, STAT, 21 Mar. 2024 In a preview clip exclusive to EW, the ABC drama picks up right where things left off, with Angela Bassett's Athena and Peter Krause's Bobby assessing the situation. Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024 For an auction preview, visit https://fly.causepilot.com/wines-of-scm/grand-tasting-2024. Laura Ness, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 In a February preview of Adelina, Dickow said the restaurant’s 4,000 square-foot space, from top to bottom, underwent a complete remodel, including the kitchen. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 As the case made its way through the courts, Julien’s installed an elaborate auction preview in a former department store in Beverly Hills. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preview.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of preview was in 1607

Dictionary Entries Near preview

Cite this Entry

“Preview.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preview. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

preview

1 of 2 verb
pre·​view ˈprē-ˌvyü How to pronounce preview (audio)
: 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 : a showing of bits from a movie that is to be shown in the near future
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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