opera

1 of 2

plural of opus

opera

2 of 2

noun

op·​era ˈä-p(ə-)rə 

Southern also ˈä-prē

1

: a drama set to music and made up of vocal pieces with orchestral accompaniment and orchestral overtures (see overture entry 1 sense 2) and interludes (see interlude sense 2)

specifically : grand opera

Beethoven composed only one opera.

2

: the score (see score entry 1 sense 6) of a musical drama

The composer finished the opera in just six weeks.

3

: the performance of an opera

The opera was delayed a half hour due to technical difficulties.

also : a house where operas are performed

We'll meet you at the opera at 7 p.m.

Examples of opera in a Sentence

Noun

I am going to an opera tonight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In Festival Opera’s new production of Handel’s 1735 opera, the deadly enchantress returns in a new production, with two performances by the company in collaboration with the San Francisco Early Music Society. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

Conlon also took obvious pleasure in bringing opera to the community in other ways, conducting children’s opera at the Cathedral of the Angels, helping create city-wide festivals around composers who mean the most to him, Wagner and Benjamin Britten very much included. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

Twain once again accessorized with opera gloves, though this time, they were made of leather. —Hannah Malach, InStyle, 15 June 2026

Conlon also launched Recovered Voices, an initiative to revive operas by composers who had been murdered or driven into exile during the Nazi era. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Italian, "work, labor, artistic production, drama set to music (originally short for opera musicale, opera in musica)," going back to Latin, "activity, effort, attention, work," collective derivative from oper-, opus "work, effort, product of labor" — more at opus

First Known Use

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing opera

• comic-opera
• grand opera
• horse opera
• light opera
• opera buffa
• opera glass
• opera hat
• opera house
• opera seria
• soap opera
• space opera
• the opera

Kids Definition

opera

1 of 2

plural of opus

opera

2 of 2 noun

op·​era ˈäp-(ə-)rə 

1

: a play in which usually the entire text is sung with orchestral accompaniment

2

: the performance of an opera

operatic

ˌäp-ə-ˈrat-ik

adjective