Word.ws English Dictionary

opening

UK/ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ//ˈoʊ.pə.nɪŋ/

opening is the present participle and gerund of open.

Adjective

opening (not comparable)

  1. Pertaining to the start or beginning of a series of events.
    • The opening theme of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is, perhaps, the most recognizable in all of European art music.
    • The opening act of the battle for Fort Sumter was the firing of a single 10-inch mortar round from Fort Johnson at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, by Lt. Henry S. Farley, who acted upon the command of Capt. George S. James, which round exploded over Fort Sumter as a signal to open the general...
  2. Of the first period of play, usually up to the fall of the first wicket.
  3. Of the batsman who opens the innings or of a bowler who opens the attack.

Noun

opening (plural openings)

  1. An act or instance of making or becoming open.
    • The daily openings of the day lily bloom gives it its name.
    • He remembered fondly the Christmas morning opening of presents.
  2. A gap permitting passage through.
    • A salamander darted out of an opening in the rocks.
    • He slipped through an opening in the crowd.
    Synonyms:
    hole
  3. An act or instance of beginning.
    • There have been few factory and store openings in the US lately.
    • Their opening of the concert with Brass in Pocket always fires up the crowd.
  4. The first performance of a show or play by a particular troupe.
    • They were disappointed at the turnout for their opening, but hoped that word would spread.
  5. The initial period when an art exhibition, fashion show, etc. is first opened, especially the first evening.
    • The French openings decided that satin gowns, suits, wraps and even hats were to be in first fashion this autumn.1916 September 11, Anne Rittenhouse, “Dress: One-piece Frocks of Satin in Neutral Colors, With Bits of Colored Embroidery”, in The Journal and Tribune, volume 30, number 235, Knoxville, Tenn., page 6
  6. The first few measures of a musical composition.
  7. The first few moves in a game.
    • John spends two hours a day studying chess openings, and another two hours studying endgames.
  8. The initial movement in a market when it opens.
    • If overnight the S&P futures value moves beyond 1,425, that could indicate a higher opening for S&P 500 and generally the stock market. If, however, it stands below 1,425 this could be an indicator of a weak opening.2001 November 9, Robert Vahid Hashemian, Financial Markets for the Rest of Us: An Easy Guide to Money, Bonds, Futures, Stocks, Options, and Mutual Funds, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 165
  9. A vacant position, especially in an array.
    • Are there likely to be any openings on the Supreme Court in the next four years?
    1. A time available in a schedule.
      • If you'd like to make a booking with us, we have an opening at twelve o'clock.
      • The only two-hour openings for the hockey rink are between 1AM and 5AM.
    2. An unoccupied employment position.
      • We have an opening in our marketing department.
  10. An opportunity, as in a competitive activity.
    • The Reds carved the first opening of the second period as Glen Johnson's pull-back found David Ngog but the Frenchman hooked wide from six yards.2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC
  11. In mathematical morphology, the dilation of the erosion of a set.

Meaning of open

Verb

open (third-person singular simple present opens, present participle opening, simple past and past participle opened)

  1. (intransitive, transitive) To make or become accessible or clear for passage by moving from a shut position.
    • Turn the doorknob to open the door.
  2. (intransitive, transitive) To make or become clear by removal of objects and obstructions, so as to allow passage, access, or visibility.
    • The icebreaker opened the channel.
  3. (intransitive, transitive) To unseal or uncover, or become unsealed or uncovered.
    • You can open your eyes now!
  4. (intransitive, transitive) To spread; to expand into a wider or looser position.
    • to open a closed fist
  5. (transitive, nursing) To make (a bed) ready for a patient by folding back the bedcovers.
    • Follow agency policy, or open the bed by folding the top linens back.2013, Susan C. deWit, Patricia A. Williams, Fundamental Concepts and Skills for Nursing, page 318
  6. (intransitive, transitive) To reveal one's hand.
    • Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush.

See all 70 meanings of open

Proper noun capitalized: Opening

Opening

  1. Synonym of Fatiha.
    Synonyms:
    Fatiha

Synonyms of opening

Forms of opening

pluralopenings

Origin of opening

From Middle English openynge, openande, openand, from Old English openiende, from Proto-West Germanic *opanōndī, from Proto-Germanic *upanōndz, present participle of *upanōną (“to open”), equivalent to open + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian iepenjend, Dutch openend, German öffnend, Swedish öppnande, Icelandic opnandi.

From Middle English openyng, openynge, openunge, from Old English openung (“an opening”), from Proto-West Germanic *opanungu, from Proto-Germanic *upanungō (“an opening”), equivalent to open + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Eepenge, Epenge (“an opening”), West Frisian iepening (“an opening”), Dutch opening (“an opening”), German Öffnung (“an opening”), Danish åbning (“an opening”), Swedish öppning (“an opening”).

Words formed from opening

Phrases with opening

26 more phrasesFewer phrases

Questions about opening

What does opening mean?
Opening means pertaining to the start or beginning of a series of events.
What is opening the present participle and gerund of?
Opening is the present participle and gerund of open.
What part of speech is opening?
Opening can be an adjective, a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce opening?
Opening is pronounced /ˈəʊ.pə.nɪŋ/ (UK).

Words near opening in the dictionary

  1. openhanding
  2. openhands
  3. openhearted
  4. openheartedly
  5. openheartedness
  6. opening
  7. opening a can of whoop ass
  8. opening a can of whoop-ass
  9. opening a can of whup ass
  10. opening argument
  11. opening arguments

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: opening (page history and authors); Opening (page history and authors); open (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-opening.ogg, en-au-opening.ogg.

Cite this entry: “opening.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/opening. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.