Definition of "opera" []

• A theatrical presentation in which a dramatic performance is set to music. (noun)
• The score of such a work. (noun)
• A theater designed primarily for operas. (noun)
• A plural of opus. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "A _comic opera_ is a humorous opera, the plot providing many amusing situations and the whole ending happily."
• "I know it's disgraceful, but I go to sleep at the opera, and I sit out the _opera bouffé_ to the last minute, and enjoy it."
• "The _thèâtre des arts_ or grand French opera, the _opera buffa_ or"