overture

/ˈəʊvətjʊə/US/ˈoʊvəɹt͡ʃəɹ/

overture noun: an opening; a recess or chamber.

Noun

overture (plural overtures)

(obsolete) An opening; a recess or chamber.
- c. 1612', George Chapman, A Hymne to Hermes
  the cave's inmost overture
(obsolete) Disclosure; discovery; revelation.
- It was he
  That made the overture of thy treasons to us.c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
(often, plural) An approach or proposal made to initiate communication, establish a relationship etc.
- overture of friendship
- Shortly afterwards the North Eastern Railway made overtures for the purchase of the Blyth & Tyne system, and the directors of the latter were then disposed to sell, but, in view of their excellent dividend record, stood out for a good price.1943 May and June, Charles E. Lee, “The Blyth & Tyne Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 138
(Scotland) A motion placed before a legislative body, such as the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
A musical introduction to a longer piece of music or a dramatic work (such as a play, an opera, or a motion picture).
- The overture was almost at a close; and silence being now more effective than any thing that he could urge in favour of the play, Courtenaye went behind the scenes:...1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A First Night”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 66
A medley of themes from a larger work, such as an opera or musical, typically played at the beginning but sometimes played at any part of the work or performed as a standalone piece.
- The paradoxical use of an overture at the end of a concert occasionally gave rise to satire in the musical press.2017 April 27, Steven Vande Moortele, The Romantic Overture and Musical Form from Rossini to Wagner, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 24

Verb

overture (third-person singular simple present overtures, present participle overturing, simple past and past participle overtured)

(intransitive) To make overtures; to approach with a proposal.
- For a partner setting a table in a game of “house,” an overturing child might assume the role of the father returning home from work at dinnertime rather than overturing by throwing a ball toward the child and yelling “catch.”2012, K.H. Rubin, H.S. Ross, Peer Relationships and Social Skills in Childhood, page 44

Adjective

overture (not comparable)

(nonstandard) Overt, that is, disclosed.
- Crest : A falcon, wings overture.1887, Edmund Farrer, The Church Heraldry of Norfolk, page 74
- It may be with wings close, i.e. closed, or it may be with its wings elevated, or it may be with wings disclosed, i.e. somewhat open, but inverted, and pointing downwards (and this is practically the same as the expression overt, written sometimes overture). [...]
  Argent, an eagle recursant wings...1894, Henry Gough, James Parker, A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry, page 215

overture meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

overture in Hindi

ओवरचर

overture in Tamil

முன்னோட்டவுரை, உடன்படிக்கை பேச்சுத் தொடக்கம்

overture in Marathi

ओव्हरचर

overture in Urdu

الاپ, بات, موقع

More languagesFewer languages

overture in Bengali: ওভারচার
overture in Telugu: ఓవర్చర్
overture in Malayalam: പൂർവ്വരംഗം, നാന്ദി, പ്രസ്താവന, ഉപക്രമം
overture in Kannada: ಆಲಾಪನೆ, ತೊಡಗಿಕೆಯ ಹಾಡು, ಮೊದಲನೀಡಿಕೆ, ಮೇಳಕೃತಿ
overture in Punjabi: ਓਵਰਚਰ
overture in Gujarati: ઓવરચર
overture in Odia: ଓଭରଚର୍, ଓଭରଚ୍ଯ଼ୁର୍, ଓଭରଚ୍ଯ଼ୁର
overture in Nepali: ओभरचर, ओवरचर
overture in Tagalog: obertura, pasakalye
overture in Arabic: اِفْتِتَاحِيَّة iftitāḥiyya
overture in Persian: پیشنوا piš-navâ, اوورتور uvertur

Examples of overture in a sentence

My mother had no choice; one did not turn down such an overture from the regent.1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 20:
[...] charged with a cross patty gules, and perched thereon a bird contourne reguardant, its wings overture, of the second; […]1992, Donald R. Mandich, Joseph Anthony Placek, Russian Heraldry and Nobility, Dramco:

All 17 example sentences with overture

Antonyms of overture

coda

Forms of overture

Noun
plural	overtures
Verb
third-person singular present	overtures
present participle	overturing
past participle	overtured
past	overtured

Plural of overture: overtures

Origin of overture

From Middle English overture, from Anglo-Norman, Middle French overture, from Old French overture, from Latin apertūra. Doublet of aperture.

Questions about overture

What does overture mean?: Overture means an opening; a recess or chamber.
What is overture in Hindi?: Overture in Hindi is ओवरचर. See Overture meaning in Hindi.
How do you use overture in a sentence?: My mother had no choice; one did not turn down such an overture from the regent.
What part of speech is overture?: Overture can be a noun, a verb or an adjective.
How do you pronounce overture?: Overture is pronounced /ˈəʊvətjʊə/ (UK).
What is the plural of overture?: The plural of overture is overtures.

Words near overture in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-overture1.wav.

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