Adjacent Words

Opening definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OPENING, ppr. o'pning. Unclosing; unsealing; uncovering; revealing; interpreting.
OPENING, n. o'pning.
1. A breach; an aperture; a hole or perforation.
2. A place admitting entrance; as a bay or creek.
3. Dawn; first appearance or visibleness; beginning of exhibition or discovery.
The opening of your glory was like that of light.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: first or beginning; "the memorable opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth"; "the play's opening scene" [ant: closing] n
1: an open or empty space in or between things; "there was a small opening between the trees"; "the explosion made a gap in the wall" [syn: opening, gap]
2: a ceremony accompanying the start of some enterprise
3: becoming open or being made open; "the opening of his arms was the sign I was waiting for"
4: the first performance (as of a theatrical production); "the opening received good critical reviews" [syn: opening, opening night, curtain raising]
5: the act of opening something; "the ray of light revealed his cautious opening of the door" [ant: closing, shutting]
6: opportunity especially for employment or promotion; "there is an opening in the sales department"
7: the initial part of the introduction; "the opening established the basic theme"
8: a possible alternative; "bankruptcy is always a possibility" [syn: possibility, possible action, opening]
9: an aperture or hole that opens into a bodily cavity; "the orifice into the aorta from the lower left chamber of the heart" [syn: orifice, opening, porta]
10: a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made; "they left a small opening for the cat at the bottom of the door"
11: an entrance equipped with a hatch; especially a passageway between decks of a ship [syn: hatchway, opening, scuttle]
12: a recognized sequence of moves at the beginning of a game of chess; "he memorized all the important chess openings" [syn: opening, chess opening]
13: the first of a series of actions [syn: first step, initiative, opening move, opening]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 13th century 1. a. an act or instance of making or becoming open b. an act or instance of beginning ; commencement; especially a formal and usually public event by which something new is put officially into operation 2. something that is open: as a. (1) breach, aperture (2) an open width ; span b. an area without trees or with scattered usually mature trees that occurs as a break in a forest c. two pages that face one another in a book 3. something that constitutes a beginning: as a. a usually planned series of moves made at the beginning of a game of chess or checkers — compare endgame, middle game b. a first performance 4. a. occasion, chance b. an opportunity for employment

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 an aperture or gap, esp. allowing access. 2 a favourable situation or opportunity. 3 a beginning; an initial part. 4 Chess a recognized sequence of moves at the beginning of a game. 5 a counsel's preliminary statement of a case in a lawcourt. --adj. initial, first. Phrases and idioms: opening-time Brit. the time at which public houses may legally open for custom.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Opening O"pen*ing, n. 1. The act or process of opening; a beginning; commencement; first appearance; as, the opening of a speech. The opening of your glory was like that of light. --Dryden. 2. A place which is open; a breach; an aperture; a gap; cleft, or hole. We saw him at the opening of his tent. --Shak. 3. Hence: A vacant place; an opportunity; as, an opening for business. [Colloq.] --Dickens. 4. A thinly wooded space, without undergrowth, in the midst of a forest; as, oak openings. [U.S.] --Cooper.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Open O"pen v. t. [imp. & p. p. Opened; p. pr. & vb. n. Opening.] [AS. openian. See Open,a.] 1. To make or set open; to render free of access; to unclose; to unbar; to unlock; to remove any fastening or covering from; as, to open a door; to open a box; to open a room; to open a letter. And all the windows of my heart I open to the day. --Whittier. 2. To spread; to expand; as, to open the hand. 3. To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain. The king opened himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death. --Bacon. Unto thee have I opened my cause. --Jer. xx. 12. While he opened to us the Scriptures. --Luke xxiv. 32. 4. To make known; to discover; also, to render available or accessible for settlements, trade, etc. The English did adventure far for to open the North parts of America. --Abp. Abbot. 5. To enter upon; to begin; as, to open a discussion; to open fire upon an enemy; to open trade, or correspondence; to open a case in court, or a meeting. 6. To loosen or make less compact; as, to open matted cotton by separating the fibers. To open one's mouth, to speak. To open up, to lay open; to discover; to disclose. Poetry that had opened up so many delightful views into the character and condition of our ``bold peasantry, their country's pride.'' --Prof. Wilson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(openings) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. The opening event, item, day, or week in a series is the first one. They returned to take part in the season's opening game. ...the opening day of the fifth General Synod. ADJ: ADJ n 2. The opening of something such as a book, play, or concert is the first part of it. The opening of the scene depicts Akhnaten and his family in a moment of intimacy. = beginning N-COUNT: usu N of n 3. An opening is a hole or empty space through which things or people can pass. He squeezed through a narrow opening in the fence. N-COUNT 4. An opening in a forest is a small area where there are no trees or bushes. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use clearing) I glanced down at the beach as we passed an opening in the trees. N-COUNT 5. An opening is a good opportunity to do something, for example to show people how good you are. Her capabilities were always there; all she needed was an opening to show them. N-COUNT 6. An opening is a job that is available. We don't have any openings now, but we'll call you if something comes up. N-COUNT 7. see also open

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. First, commencing, introductory, initiatory. II. n. 1. Aperture, hole, orifice, perforation, breach, chasm, cleft, gap, fissure, rent, rift, flaw. 2. Beginning, commencement, dawn, first appearance. 3. Opportunity, chance, vacancy.

Moby Thesaurus

a leg up, abysm, abyss, access, adit, air lock, aisle, alley, alpha, ambulatory, aperture, apparition, appearance, appearing, appointment, approach, arcade, arising, arroyo, artery, avatar, avenue, bareness, barrenness, beginning, berth, billet, birth, blankness, blast-off, bleakness, blowhole, box canyon, breach, break, canyon, cavity, chance, channel, chap, chasm, check, chimney, chink, chute, clear stage, cleft, cleuch, cloister, clough, col, colonnade, coming, coming into being, coming-forth, commencement, communication, conduit, connection, corridor, coulee, couloir, covered way, crack, cranny, creation, crevasse, crevice, cut, cutting edge, cwm, dawn, dawning, debouch, debut, defile, dell, demonstration, desertedness, desolateness, dike, disclosure, discontinuity, display, ditch, donga, door, draw, edge, egress, emergence, employment, emptiness, emunctory, enactment, engagement, entrance, entranceway, entree, entry, entryway, epiphany, escape, establishment, estuary, excavation, exhaust, exhibit, exhibition, exit, exposition, exposure, fair field, fair game, fault, ferry, fissure, flaw, floodgate, flume, flying start, foothold, ford, forthcoming, foundation, fracture, fresh start, furrow, gallery, gangplank, gangway, gap, gape, gash, gig, gorge, groove, gulch, gulf, gully, hall, hole, hollowness, in, inanition, inauguration, incarnation, incision, incumbency, ingress, initiation, inlet, institution, intake, interchange, intersection, issuance, job, joint, jump-off, junction, kick-off, kloof, lane, launch, leading edge, leak, liberty, look-in, loophole, manifestation, materialization, materializing, means of access, moat, moonlighting, new departure, noninhabitance, nonoccupance, nonoccupancy, nonresidence, notch, nullah, occasion, occurrence, office, oncoming, onset, open arms, open door, opportunism, opportunity, orifice, origin, origination, ostentation, out, outbreak, outcome, outfall, outgate, outgo, outlet, outset, outstart, overpass, pass, passage, passageway, performance, pit, place, place open, pore, port, portico, position, post, presentation, presentment, production, projection, railroad tunnel, ravine, realization, rent, representation, retrospective, revelation, rift, rime, rise, rising, room, running start, rupture, sally port, scissure, scope, seam, second job, send-off, separation, service, setout, setting in motion, setting-up, shot, show, showing, showing forth, situation, slit, slot, sluice, spiracle, split, spout, square one, squeak, start, start-off, starting point, station, stepping-stone, take-off, tap, tenure, theophany, time, traject, trajet, trench, tunnel, underpass, unfolding, unfoldment, unveiling, vacancy, vacant post, vacuity, valley, varnishing day, vent, ventage, venthole, vernissage, vestibule, void, voidness, vomitory, wadi, way, way in, way out, weir