: 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
Evening ChronicleSo the two began plastering up playbills and cultivating a badboy image.—Logan Hill
Logan Hill
—used for a theater program (see program entry 1 sense 2a)
Examples of playbill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
In a variety of photos, fans get a glimpse at the Broadway star looking gorgeous on opening night, the ladies posing with Beyoncé’s mom (Tina Knowles) and holding each other’s hands, the Broadway production’s playbill, stage shots from the the theater and more.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
In the play, Arnold played both Marley and Mr. Fezziwig, the production's playbill showed.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
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Noun
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
In a variety of photos, fans get a glimpse at the Broadway star looking gorgeous on opening night, the ladies posing with Beyoncé’s mom (Tina Knowles) and holding each other’s hands, the Broadway production’s playbill, stage shots from the the theater and more.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
In the play, Arnold played both Marley and Mr. Fezziwig, the production's playbill showed.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for playbill
Dictionary Entries Near playbill
Cite this Entry
“Playbill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playbill. Accessed 26 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
playbill
noun
play·bill
ˈplā-ˌbil 
: a poster advertising a play
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