overture

1 of 2

noun

over·​ture ˈō-vər-ˌchu̇r 

ˈō-və-,

-chər,

-ˌtyu̇r,

-ˌtu̇r

1

a

: an initiative toward agreement or action : proposal

b

: something introductory : prelude

2

a

: the orchestral introduction to a musical dramatic work

b

: an orchestral concert piece written especially as a single movement in sonata form

overture

2 of 2

verb

overtured; overturing

transitive verb

1

: to put forward as an overture

2

: to make or present an overture to

Synonyms

Noun

• curtain-raiser
• preamble
• preliminary
• prelude
• prologue
• prolog
• warm-up

Examples of overture in a Sentence

Noun

The government has made a significant peace overture by opening the door to negotiation.

the parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend of fun and festivities

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some, like Meta, seemed to be making overtures to the incoming Trump administration before this week. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2025

Todd Belt, political management program director at George Washington University, said this is also an overture to younger voters and could serve as a quick win for Trump on an issue that’s important to a lot of people. —Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2025

Fetterman has made a number of bipartisan overtures amid the Biden-Trump transition, paying a visit to President-elect Trump in Florida and earning praise from former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 17 Jan. 2025

Those attacks mirrored similar overtures made by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) during his 2016 campaign and former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) during her vice presidential bid in 2008. —Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, literally, opening, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *opertura, alteration of Latin apertura — more at aperture

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

overture

noun

over·​ture

ˈō-və(r)-ˌchu̇(ə)r,

-chər

1

: an opening offer : proposal

the enemy made overtures for peace

2

a

: a musical composition played by the orchestra as the introduction to an opera or musical play

b

: a piece of music in the style of an overture for concert performance