playbill

1 of 2

noun

play·​bill ˈplā-ˌbil How to pronounce playbill (audio)
: a bill (see bill entry 4 sense 5a) advertising a public performance or set of performances
A playbill—an early poster—advertising Shakespeare's Hamlet at Newcastle's original Theatre Royal in Mosley Street in December 1791 was discovered among prints bought in an auction sale …Evening Chronicle
So the two began plastering up playbills and cultivating a badboy image.Logan Hill

Playbill

2 of 2

trademark

used for a theater program (see program entry 1 sense 2a)

Examples of playbill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Knick-knacks from menorahs to playbills of Josephine Baker are jammed in every corner. Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 21 Feb. 2025 He was still listed in the Bushnell playbill on Tuesday, but an insert page in that playbill announced that Jonah Barricklo, Almeida’s understudy, is now Peter Pan. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2025 The sweet post featured a photo of the costars backstage followed by throwback pictures of the two of them and one snap of Armitage, 16, holding up the show’s playbill. Liza Esquibias, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024 The centerpiece of the room was a fireplace, with playbills, works of art, and photographs of friends and family propped up on the mantle. Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for playbill

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of playbill was in 1610

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Cite this Entry

“Playbill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playbill. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

playbill

noun
play·​bill ˈplā-ˌbil How to pronounce playbill (audio)
: a poster advertising a play

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