as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
the parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend of fun and festivities
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Recent Examples of overture
There’s a lot going on, both thematically — art versus capitalism, postwar PTSD, Jewish assimilation — and structurally: There’s an overture, an epilogue, and even an intermission!
—
Kevin Lincoln, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
The overtures have created new alliances on Capitol Hill. O’Brien, working with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), encouraged Trump to nominate Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a pro-union Republican, for labor secretary.
—David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Feb. 2025
The Iranians, too, seem to be open to another diplomatic overture.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Granting in-state tuition discounts to undocumented students was an overture to Hispanic voters during a moment when Republican politicians were beginning to pay more attention to the influence of Latino voters at the ballot box in what was still a swing state with razor-thin margins.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
Kevin Lincoln, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
The overtures have created new alliances on Capitol Hill. O’Brien, working with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), encouraged Trump to nominate Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a pro-union Republican, for labor secretary.
—David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Feb. 2025
The Iranians, too, seem to be open to another diplomatic overture.
—Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Granting in-state tuition discounts to undocumented students was an overture to Hispanic voters during a moment when Republican politicians were beginning to pay more attention to the influence of Latino voters at the ballot box in what was still a swing state with razor-thin margins.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
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Cite this Entry
“Overture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overture. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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