overture

How to use overture in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for overture.

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Editorial note

Play the 1812 overture and it actually goes up in smoke.

Examples6

Definitions3

Parts of speech1

Quick take

orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio

Meaning at a glance

The clearest senses and uses of overture gathered in one view.

noun

orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio

noun

something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows; "training is a necessary preliminary to employment"; "drinks were the overture to dinner"

noun

a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others; "she rejected his advances"

Definitions

Core meanings and parts of speech for overture.

noun

orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio

noun

something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows; "training is a necessary preliminary to employment"; "drinks were the overture to dinner"

noun

a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others; "she rejected his advances"

Example sentences

Play the 1812 overture and it actually goes up in smoke.

I wonder if Opera is making an overture to get acquired by Google or Apple.

I was expecting a more explicit "let's get together and feel alright" overture.

It is not possible in such a situation to make a romantic overture that is not tainted by the possibility that you are looking for a quid-pro-quo even if in fact you are not.

"If we concede the point that, especially in the Valley, technical talent is in high demand, it stands to reason that any overture to such talent needs to be persuasive, informative and intriguing.

There is a thunderstorm, they are playing a Wagner overture and the people leave their seats under the trees and run inside to the pavilion the women giggling, the men pretending calm, wet cigarettes being thrown away, Wagner plays on, and then they are all under the pavilion.