ENGLISH
REFERENCE

debut

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈdeɪbju// UK //dˈeɪbjuː// de·but

n. the first time a person or thing appears in public. You often hear this when an artist releases their first album or an athlete plays their first game.

n. the first public appearance of a person, product, or creative work. Often used in the context of professional sports, performing arts, or commercial launches.


SIMPLE

The young singer made her debut at the local theater.

CONTEXTUAL

The tech company's latest smartphone made its debut at the annual trade show in Las Vegas.

COMPLEX

Critics were divided over the director's feature film debut, with some praising the bold visual style while others found the narrative structure overly ambitious for a first-time effort.

Synonyms
Origin

From French début, from Middle French, derivative of débuter (“to move, begin”), from dé- + but (“mark, goal”), from Old French but (“aim, goal, end, target”), from Old French butte (“mound, knoll, target”), from Frankish but (“stump, log”), or from Old Norse bútr (“log, stump, butt”); both from Proto-Germanic butą (“end, piece”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewd- (“to beat, push”). Cognate with Old English butt (“tree stump”). More at butt. The Philippine sense is influenced by Spanish debut.

Usage

Commonly functions as a noun-modifier in phrases like 'debut album' or 'debut novel'.

Pitfall

She did her debut last nightShe made her debut last nightThe noun 'debut' collocations with the verb 'make', not 'do'.

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