opening

noun

open·​ing

ˈōp-niŋ,

ˈō-pə- 

1

a

: an act or instance of making or becoming open

b

: an act or instance of beginning : commencement

especially : a formal and usually public event by which something new is put officially into operation

2

: something that is open: such as

a(1)

: breach, aperture

(2)

: an open width : span

b

: an area without trees or with scattered usually mature trees that occurs as a break in a forest

c

: two pages that face one another in a book

3

: something that constitutes a beginning: such as

a

: a usually planned series of moves made at the beginning of a game of chess or checkers compare endgame, middle game

b

: a first performance

4

a

: occasion, chance

b

: an opportunity for employment

Synonyms

• break
• chance
• occasion
• opportunity
• room
• shot

Examples of opening in a Sentence

the opening of a cave

They squeezed through a narrow opening between the fence and an oak tree.

The enemy's troops poured through an opening in our defenses.

We went to the play's opening.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Italian brand has lined up new store openings at the Montecarlo Mareterra retail complex, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Washington D.C. Stefano Ricci operates five stores in the U.S., in New York, Beverly Hills, Miami’s Design District, and two in Las Vegas. —Martino Carrera, WWD, 2 Dec. 2024

Pre-sale tickets for the anniversary concert will be available starting Monday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m. EST via online platforms, with the general sale opening on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 10 a.m. EST. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 2 Dec. 2024

Another key change in 2024 was the opening of the submission calls to Asia for the first time, with a whopping 28% of total submissions coming from the country in this inaugural year. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 2 Dec. 2024

McCaffrey was playing in his fourth game since missing the opening eight of the season with Achilles and calf issues. —Ben Morse, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing opening

• cold opening
• grand opening
• opening crawl
• opening gambit
• opening hours
• opening night
• pre-opening

Kids Definition

opening

noun

open·​ing ˈōp-(ə-)niŋ 

1

: an act or instance of making or becoming open

the opening of a new store

welcome to our grand opening

2

: something that is open: as

a

: breach entry 1 sense 2b

b

: an open place

an opening in the woods

3

: beginning sense 2

the opening of fishing season

4

a

: occasion entry 1 sense 1, chance

saw an opening to run with the ball

b

: a job opportunity

openings for welders and machinists

Medical Definition

opening

noun

open·​ing ˈōp-(ə-)niŋ 

1

: an act or instance of making or becoming open

2

: something (as an anatomical aperture) that is open or opens