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Definition of "overture" []

  • Music An instrumental composition intended especially as an introduction to an extended work, such as an opera or oratorio. (noun)
  • Music A similar orchestral work intended for independent concert performance. (noun)
  • An introductory section or part, as of a poem; a prelude. (noun)
  • An act, offer, or proposal that indicates readiness to undertake a course of action or open a relationship. (noun)
  • To present as an introduction or proposal. (verb-transitive)

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.

Use "overture" in a sentence
  • "William Tell overture is not "from the soundtrack for A Clockwork Orange", it is a piece of classical music composed by Rossini."
  • "Whether Syria's peace overture is rhetorical or real, there is no better time to put Damascus to the test."
  • "By the 18th century, composers were calling the overture to an opera, or an oratorio, the "sinfonia"."