overture
8
7.2
- noun
- /ˈoʊvərtʃər/
- My first lecture was a kind of overture to this series.
Examples
-
Judging from this overture, Montaigne appears about a hundred years behind in his politics.
Academic text (1991) -
The overture to our symphony of horrors.
-
Call it a-an overture to something much more ambitious.
-
Some are entertaining overtures from countries outside the United States, where science investment is robust and expanding.
-
The protests over budget cuts in Britain that began last year and the riots this past summer are merely the overture to a crisis that is spreading across the continent.
Academic text (2011) -
There was no precedent for identifying Ossian with Denmark's history or sense of national identity when Gade composed the overture.
Academic text (1998) -
The recorded screams echo out across the mountains—a fitting overture for the dark shadows coming out of the woods.
Fiction book (2001) -
My purpose is to elicit some of the salient social understandings Montaigne conjures up by means of this overture.
Academic text (1991) -
The Overture is about the initiation of draftees into the army, the titular "overture," which is presented not from the perspective of the draftees but from the perspective of those who are "processing" them.
Academic text (2016) -
The lecture served as an overture to the more complex topics covered later in the course.
Synonyms
358
1.0
The first part that marks the start of something, for example a ceremony
62
3.2
A short speech that makes someone known and starts an event
52
2.1
The first part of a book, speech, or essay that explains the topic
32
7.2
A person, thing, or event that comes before and signals what will follow
32
5.9
An event that comes before and leads to a more important event
26
4.4
An event that comes before something more important
19
6.0
An opening part of a play that explains the story or background
14
4.9
A short introduction before the main part of a talk or story
13
5.2
An event that happens before a main event to prepare for it
1
5.6
A short event or performance that comes before the main show
Antonyms
How Introductory
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Overture comes from the old Latin word aperire meaning 'to open'. So an overture is any 'opening' action or event that comes before the main thing, like a short introduction that leads to the rest.