Word.ws English Dictionary

curtain raiser

curtain raiser is the alternative form of curtain-raiser.

Meaning of curtain-raiser

Noun

curtain-raiser (plural curtain-raisers)

  1. (performing arts) In a theater, an initial play, musical performance, etc., which precedes the main performance.
    • [H]e had tried all kinds: comedy, tragedy, prose and verse, the light curtain-raiser, the short sharp drama, the bourgeoisrealistic and the lyrical-romantic.1910, Edith Wharton, “The Bolted Door”, in Tales of Men and Ghosts
    Synonyms:
    warm-up act
  2. (broadly, idiomatic) A prelude or introduction to an activity or thing.
    • It is my opinion that your part in the affair is only a curtain-raiser to graver things.1901, Harold MacGrath, chapter 7, in The Puppet Crown
    Synonyms:
    preamble, prologue

Forms of curtain raiser

pluralcurtain raisers

Questions about curtain raiser

What is curtain raiser the alternative form of?
Curtain raiser is the alternative form of curtain-raiser.

Words near curtain raiser in the dictionary

  1. curtain coating
  2. curtain coatings
  3. curtain lecture
  4. curtain lectures
  5. curtain off
  6. curtain raiser
  7. curtain raisers
  8. curtain ring
  9. curtain rings
  10. curtain rod
  11. curtain rods

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: curtain raiser (page history and authors); curtain-raiser (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “curtain raiser.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/curtain_raiser. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.