premiere
gb/pɹɛmˈɪɹ/ us/pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
B1
English
~ 8100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
event
1
first public performance or showing
The first public time a movie, play, TV show, or similar work is shown or performed.
Usage pattern:
the premiere of [something]; [something]'s premiere
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "premiere" (the first showing) with "premier" (meaning main or most important, as in "the premier football league" or a political leader in some countries). Another mistake is using "premiere" to mean just any showing, not specifically the first official public one.
Synonyms
opening (Often used for the first performance of a play or show, especially in theater.)
|
debut (Focuses on a performer or thing appearing for the first time, not always in a formal public event.)
Antonyms
finale (Refers to the last performance or episode, the opposite end of a run from a premiere.)
Collocations
world premiere
|film premiere
|movie premiere
|season premiere
|gala premiere
|red-carpet premiere
Themes
entertainment
|media
|arts
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- The film's world premiere will be held at the Berlin International Film Festival.
- Tickets for the Broadway premiere sold out within hours.
- Fans lined the street to see the cast arrive at the red-carpet premiere.
- The documentary had its television premiere last night.
- We were invited to the premiere of their new stage production.
Learner examples
- The movie premiere is next Friday.
- She wore a beautiful dress to the film premiere.
- They watched the premiere of the new TV show.
- Many stars came to the world premiere.
- We saw the play at its premiere.
Verb
B2
action
2
to show or perform first time
To show or perform a movie, play, TV show, or similar work for the public for the first time.
Usage pattern:
to premiere [something]; [something] premieres [time/place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "premiere" with a person as the direct object, e.g. *"They premiered the actor in this film"*. Instead, premiere is used with the work: "They premiered the film" or "The actor makes his debut in this film." Another mistake is using it for any showing, not just the first public one.
Synonyms
debut (Very similar in meaning; "debut" as a verb is slightly more general and can be used for products, people, or ideas appearing first, not only shows.)
|
launch (Common for products or services; slightly more business-focused than "premiere".)
Antonyms
retire (To stop performing or showing something, the opposite of presenting it for the first time.)
Collocations
premiere a film
|premiere a play
|premiere on television
|premiere on Netflix
|premiere on Broadway
|premiere worldwide
Themes
entertainment
|media
|arts
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- The series will premiere on the streaming platform next month.
- The director chose to premiere the film at an independent festival.
- Her new single will premiere on the radio tomorrow morning.
- The play premiered in London before moving to New York.
- The documentary is set to premiere worldwide this summer.
Learner examples
- The show will premiere on Monday night.
- They will premiere the movie at a big festival.
- The new cartoon premieres on TV today.
- His band premiered the song at the concert.
- The play premiered in a small theater.
adjective
B2
property
3
first in a series; debut
Describes the first episode, show, or release in a series, or the first public time something is shown.
Usage pattern:
premiere [episode/show/issue/event]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes spell this as "premier" when they mean the first episode or issue, or they use "premiere" as an adjective in contexts where simple "first" is more natural (e.g. *"my premiere day at school"* instead of "my first day at school").
Synonyms
debut (Often used in similar contexts; "debut" can sound slightly more formal or artistic when used as an adjective.)
|
first (More general and basic; "premiere" is more specific to media and events.)
Antonyms
final (Describes the last episode or event in a series, the opposite position from the premiere one.)
Collocations
premiere episode
|premiere season
|premiere issue
|premiere event
|premiere screening
Themes
entertainment
|media
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Viewers loved the premiere episode of the new drama.
- The network is heavily promoting its premiere season lineup.
- The magazine’s premiere issue featured an interview with the director.
- Fans gathered online to watch the show’s premiere livestream event.
- Critics gave the premiere screening very positive reviews.
Learner examples
- We all watched the premiere episode together.
- The premiere season has ten episodes.
- She bought the premiere issue of the new magazine.
- The cinema held a special premiere screening.
- People were excited about the premiere event.
Noun
formal
C2
entity
4
leading female dancer or performer
In ballet, the main or top female dancer in a group.
Usage pattern:
a premiere with [company]; the premiere of [company]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this specialized sense with the more common meaning of "premiere" as the first showing of a film or play. This sense is rare and usually appears in arts writing; in many modern contexts, "principal dancer" is more common.
Synonyms
prima ballerina (More specific and traditional term in ballet; strongly tied to classical ballet companies.)
|
principal dancer (Modern, gender-neutral term used in ballet and dance companies.)
Antonyms
corps de ballet member (Refers to a regular ensemble dancer rather than the leading performer.)
Collocations
company premiere
|ballet premiere
|premiere dancer
|appoint a premiere
Themes
arts
|entertainment
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- She was promoted to premiere after ten years with the company.
- The premiere received a standing ovation for her solo.
- As the company’s premiere, she dances the lead role in every major production.
Learner examples
- She is the premiere in that ballet company.
- The premiere dances the main role.
- They chose a new premiere for the show.
- The premiere practiced for many hours every day.
Grammar
Dictionary form
premiere
IPA
GB/pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
US/pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
Syllables & stress
premiere (1 syllable)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: premiere
Noun
- Base: premiere
- Plural: premiere, premieres
Verb
- Base: premiere
- 3rd Person Singular: premieres
- Present Participle: premiering
- Past: premiered
Word family
Forms
premieres
noun
premiering
verb
premiered
verb
Related words
premier
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
premiership
noun
Expressions
online premiere
1/ˈɔnlˌaɪn pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
first showing on the internet
The first time a film, show, or video is officially shown to the public on the internet.
Examples
- The documentary will have an online premiere next week.
- They announced an online premiere instead of a cinema release.
red-carpet premiere
1/ɹˈɛd kˈɑɹpɪt pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
glamorous first showing with red carpet
A film or show’s first public showing that includes a special event with a red carpet and celebrities.
Examples
- The stars arrived at the red-carpet premiere in designer gowns.
- Photos from the red-carpet premiere were shared on social media.
season premiere
1/sˈizən pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
first episode of a season
The first episode of a new season of a TV or online series.
Examples
- Millions of viewers tuned in for the season premiere.
- The season premiere introduced several new characters.
series premiere
1/sˈɪɹiz pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
first episode of a series
The first-ever episode of a new TV or online series.
Examples
- The series premiere received excellent reviews from critics.
- We watched the series premiere together to see if we liked the show.
world premiere
1/wˈɚld pɹɛmˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
first showing anywhere in the world
The first official public showing or performance of a film, play, or other work anywhere in the world.
Examples
- The film will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
- The band chose their hometown for the world premiere of their concert film.