opener

Noun

opener (plural openers)

1. A person who opens something.
   • Have you, like the opener of this debate, discovered, sapiently enough, that "the peace party, with Lord Aberdeen at their head, were the chief cause of the war"?1863, The British Controversialist: And Literary Magazine, page 122
2. A device that opens something; specifically a tin-opener/can-opener, or a bottle opener.
3. (in-compounds) An establishment that opens.
   • The late-night openers in the mall include two restaurants and a clothing store.
4. The player who starts the betting.
5. (in plural) Cards of sufficient value to enable a player to open the betting.
6. A person employed to separate sheets of hot metal that become stuck together.
7. The first act in a variety show or concert.
8. A batsman or bowler who normally plays in the first two positions of an innings.
9. (colloquial) The first in a series of events, items etc.; the first remark or sentence of a conversation.
10. The first game played in a competition.
    • The opener came from a Jarvis ball which struck Aleksandar Kolarov en route to a lively round of pinball between City players before it was poked in by Milijas.2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC
    • England were on the scoreboard after only one minute, Wilkinson, who missed five penalties in his side's opener against the Pumas, knocking over a three-pointer from bang in front, despite boos from the crowd.2011 September 24, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 67-3 Romania”, in BBC Sport
11. A opening goal.
12. A period of time when it is legal to commercially fish.
13. A pitcher who specializes in getting the first outs of a game before being replaced, either by a long reliever or a pitcher who would normally start.
    • The Rays debuted the opener—in which a reliever starts the game and throws anywhere from one to three innings, then gives way to a new pitcher, who will usually throw three to five as essentially a second starter—on May 19 against the Angels, using veteran righty Sergio Romo to pitch the first.2018 August 23, Jon Tayler, “How the Tampa Bay Rays Reinvented the Concept of Starting Pitching”, in Sports Illustrated