opener

noun open·er \ ˈōp-nər , ˈō-pə- \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of opener

: one that opens

a bottle opener

: such as

a openers plural : cards of sufficient value for a player to open the betting in a poker game

b : the first item, contest, or event of a series

— for openers

: to begin with

See opener defined for English-language learners

See opener defined for kids

Examples of opener in a Sentence

The album's opener is a slow love song.

Recent Examples of opener from the Web

Arsene Wenger's side have produced far and away the most out of any other side in the Premier League's top six on 14, with Shane Long's opener for Southampton in Sunday's clash at the Emirates the latest example.

— SI.com, "Arsenal Revealed to Lead the Premier League's Top 6...in Entirely Unwanted Statistic," 9 Apr. 2018
The Baby Cakes begin their first road trip of the season Tuesday (April 10) in Colorado Springs, with the opener of a three-game set scheduled for a 7:40 p.m. start Central time.

— NOLA.com, "Baby Cakes go on early hot streak, win fourth consecutive game," 9 Apr. 2018
Summerfest, at least, has Halsey headlining the amphitheater, and Arcade Fire featuring Regine Chassagne, along with amphitheater openers Grace VanderWaal, Charli XCX, Bonnie Raitt and Bebe Rexha.

— piet levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 takeaways from the Summerfest 2018 lineup in Milwaukee," 5 Apr. 2018
The team gets the season under way April 6 in Louisville, Ky., followed a week later with Toledo's home opener April 12 against Pawtucket.

— robert avery, Houston Chronicle, "Eaves to start minor league season in Triple A," 4 Apr. 2018
Swift has been keeping a low profile of late, but is set to kick off her Reputation stadium tour in May, with openers Camila Cabello and Charli XCX.

— raisa bruner, Time, "Taylor Swift Surprised Fans with a Return to Her Nashville Roots," 2 Apr. 2018
The Orioles will have to overcome the intangible disadvantage of being the opponent as the Astros celebrate their first World Series title with their home opener Monday night.

— josh land, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles on deck: What to watch Monday at Astros, plus lineups, broadcast info and more," 2 Apr. 2018
The 31st Greater Kansas City Day coincides with the baseball home-opener against the Chicago White Sox.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "Greater Kansas City Day celebrates Royals and helps disabled kids go to summer camp | The Kansas City Star," 28 Mar. 2018
The club could opt to remain cautious with the opener in Kansas City less than a week away.

— fabian ardaya, chicagotribune.com, "Jose Abreu 'feeling very, very good,' but White Sox remain cautious with tight hamstring," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'opener.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of opener

15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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OPENER Defined for English Language Learners

opener

noun

Definition of opener for English Language Learners

: a tool, device, or machine that is used to open something
: the first game, performance, etc., in a series

Learn More about opener

Spanish Central: Translation of opener Nglish: Translation of opener for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of opener for Arabic speakers

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