debut
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A performer's first performance to the public, in sport, the arts or some other area.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
daybyooSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
deɪbˈju
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A performer's first performance to the public, in sport, the arts or some other area.
also attributive
The first public presentation of a theatrical play, motion picture, opera, musical composition, dance, or other performing arts piece.
The first appearance of a debutante in society.
The presentation of a debutante in society
philippines
The coming-of-age celebration of a woman's eighteenth birthday.
verb
intransitive
To make one's initial formal appearance
transitivechiefly us
To formally introduce, as to the public
Make one's debut
“This young soprano debuts next month at the Metropolitan Opera.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A performer's first performance to the public, in sport, the arts or some other area.
Used this way, debut is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a sporting use: familiar to anyone who follows the game, and puzzling to anyone who does not.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Sports
- News/reporting
- Everyday conversation
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use debut
- “The new ballet that debuts next months at Covent Garden, is already sold out.”verb
- “They looked forward to the debut of their new product line.”noun
- “This young soprano debuts next month at the Metropolitan Opera.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: performer's first performance to the public
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.