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

Starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, the film was a huge spectacle, running more than three hours with an overture and intermission and costing $6 million to make. —Rhett Bartlett, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025

Italy's second-largest lender posted fourth-quarter net profit that beat expectations amid market focus on the bank's M&A overtures. —Ganesh Rao,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2025

The insurance giant’s attempts to police social media chatter about its business practices and its overtures to Trump’s SEC dovetailed earlier this week when hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman shared his opinion of the company’s future. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 9 Feb. 2025

At least so far, many of Meta’s overtures have been met with suspicion. —Louise Matsakis, WIRED, 21 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

Rhymes for overture

• coverture

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