Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
debut (v.)
Many commentators and conservatives still strongly dislike debut as a verb, as in She debuted in Manon at a small opera house in Germany, but it is Standard in most Edited English and at most levels of speech, apparently because it is more economical to let a verb carry the full load, than to use an idiomatic phrase with the noun (to have or to make one’s debut). Pronounce the present tense as you would the noun (di-BYOO or DAI-BYOO) and the past tense and past participle either di-BYOOD or DAI-BYOOD.
