OPENING Synonyms: 244 Similar and Opposite Words

opening 1 of 3

noun

ˈōp-niŋ

as in opportunity

a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place the talk show host's usual modus operandi is to talk over his guests, thereby denying them an opening to articulate their positions

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Relevance

as in aperture

a place in a surface allowing passage into or through a thing an opening in the roof is letting rain drip inside

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as in gap

an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) the rabbit found a little opening in the bushes and darted through

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opening

2 of 3

adjective

as in initial

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Dissimilar Words

opening

3 of 3

verb

present participle of open

as in unlocking

to change from a closed to an open position please open the door to let the cat out

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as in clearing

to make passage through (something) possible by removing obstructions we need to open this drain that's clogged with hair

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as in expanding

to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area when we got too close, the cardinal opened its wings and flew to a higher branch

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as in freeing

to rid the surface of (as an area) from things in the way snowplows opened the runway without much trouble

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as in beginning

to take the first step in (a process or course of action) we will open the proceedings tomorrow with a short ceremony

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of opening

Noun

This can be an attractive opening, as Schoen himself suggested. —

Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026 Continue reading … FROM FOX SPORTS – Five NFL head coaches have been fired this week, bringing the total number of openings to seven. —

Staff, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026

Adjective

The device, revealed on the opening day of CES in Las Vegas, is designed to sense and interpret brain activity in real time, offering players insights into focus, attention, and cognitive performance during gameplay. —

Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Jan. 2026 With one chapter closing and hints of another opening, or rather re-opening, where's Emily headed to next? —

Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025

Verb

The Mele brothers fermented their dough-of-an-idea, presenting it to the city of Fort Lauderdale after opening a Pummarola location here and Emily’s Garden in the same neighborhood as Esplanade Park, where the inaugural Pizza Fest will be staged. —

Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026 But there’s been a noticeable uptick in the team’s willingness to hit their blue-collar big man on rolls to the rim, which is opening an underutilized dimension of an offense that stagnated in the weeks leading up to their back-to-back wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. —

Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for opening

Recent Examples of Synonyms for opening

Noun

By the time the madness had run its course, and some sense of sanity returned, a generation of youth had lost their opportunity to pursue their life goals, reach their educational potential, and enjoy the love of a family.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026
The climate crisis has caused melting ice and rapidly rising temperatures in the Arctic, leading some to hope for new economic opportunities.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026