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Glite Dictionary
first appearance

first appearance

27 3.5
The first time a person or thing is seen in public, often in a new role
  • noun
translation icon : primera aparición
  • "The Canterbury Path" is her first appearance in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
  • makes her first appearance

It was my very first appearance on a sitcom.

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Examples

  • "Sitters" marks Michael Libling's second sale to F&SF, but it is his first appearance in the magazine.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • And I note this is your first appearance before the court.

    Brave the Dark (2025)

  • OK, OK, Now I have to go because I have my first appearance as an attorney in the Southern District of New York.

  • So it remains to be seen, but she did make her first appearance on Meet the Press on NBC Sunday.

  • And tonight, she makes her first appearance in the Champions League.

    Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

  • This is the first appearance of the Punisher.

    Coyote Ugly (2000)

  • She makes her first appearance on the American stage in New York in 1881.

    Tesla (2020)

  • He has fans around the globe and we're so glad that his first appearance in the Middle East is right here in Sharjah.

  • The collective made its first appearance at the 2006 Singapore Biennale with a mock art journal.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The newly recruited players made their first appearance at the Anti-Racist World Cup tournament this year.

Synonyms

first time
vsfirst appearance
∞ 1.0

An occasion when someone does or experiences something they have not done before

is about the initial sighting or start in a specific place or role
appearance
vsfirst appearance
408 2.6

A person or thing becoming visible in public, for example on stage

specifies the initial sighting or start in a particular place or role
debut
vsfirst appearance
205 4.9

A first public appearance by a person or thing

is any initial sighting or start, not only public or formal
entry
vsfirst appearance
125 1.3

An act of going into a place or starting to appear

focuses on being seen or starting in a particular place or role
introduction
vsfirst appearance
77 1.6

The start of using something new

is about being seen or beginning in a particular place or role
opening night
vsfirst appearance
60 3.4

The first public performance of a play or film

is broader, meaning initial sighting or start in any place or role
unveiling
vsfirst appearance
  • Formal
24 4.1

A public event where people see something new for the first time

is about being seen or starting, not only formal public reveal
launching
vsfirst appearance
18 3.6

To start something, often for the first time

is about being seen or starting within a role or place

Surface Forms

first appearance singular
first appearances plural

Morphology

first + appearance

The meaning 'the occasion of being seen or starting for the first time' is directly and compositionally derived from 'first' (preceding all others in time) + 'appearance' (the act of appearing). This is a common, cross-linguistic compound-like phrase that follows straightforward semantic composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.

Etymology

The phrase first appearance is a simple picture: first + appearance means the very first time someone 'appears' in public or in a role. So it now means the first occasion someone or something 'is seen' or performs.