overture

noun over·ture \ ˈō-vər-ˌchu̇r , ˈō-və- , -chər , -ˌtyu̇r , -ˌtu̇r \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: overture in a Sentence

Definition of overture

1 a : an initiative toward agreement or action : proposal

b : something introductory : prelude

2 a : the orchestral introduction to a musical dramatic work

b : an orchestral concert piece written especially as a single movement in sonata form

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Examples of overture in a Sentence

The government has made a significant peace overture by opening the door to negotiation.
the parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend of fun and festivities

Recent Examples of overture from the Web

Part of the speculation has also been fed by Marchionne's penchant for making public overtures to other automakers, such as General Motors and Volkswagen.

— eric d. lawrence, Detroit Free Press, "How likely is a Fiat Chrysler/Hyundai merger?," 2 July 2018
The Orioles have made several new overtures to the fans this season.

— peter schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Billy Bean, Dale Scott help Orioles celebrate first LGBT Pride Night at Camden Yards," 28 June 2018
Wolfe, whose company owns hundreds of housing units in the North End, said Crop One was making a rare overture of dozens of entry-level jobs in a neighborhood that has not seen the development enjoyed by downtown and other parts of the city.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "Hartford Council Approves Sale Of Blighted North End Property, Tax Agreement For Hydroponics Company," 10 July 2018
Later in 2016, South Korea rejected a highly unusual overture by the North to temporarily send the restaurant workers’ relatives to the South to meet with them.

— Washington Post, "North Korea demands South Korea send back restaurant workers," 19 May 2018
Though many of the images carry a psychological burden, others have a levity, a spirited overture to rejoice in the landscape, its light, the journey itself.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Weekly Reads from Art City (Feb. 16)," 15 Feb. 2018
Many gay people are wary of the populist right’s overtures.

— The Economist, "Europe’s anti-immigrant parties are becoming more gay-friendly," 5 July 2018
But let’s be clear: Trump and his team made a number of overtures last month to usher some form of an immigration bill across the finish line.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Trump amplifying calls to ditch the legislative filibuster as midterms near," 4 July 2018
Meanwhile, the president publicly rebuked Tillerson for his overtures to North Korea and later fired him, both via Twitter.

— umair irfan, Vox, "Why Trump would really, really rather not fire Scott Pruitt," 15 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of overture

Middle English, literally, opening, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *opertura, alteration of Latin apertura — more at aperture

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First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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overture Synonyms

Synonyms

curtain-raiser, preamble, preliminary, prelude, prologue (also prolog);

Related Words

lead-in;

kickoff, start;

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

overture

verb

Definition of overture

overtured; overturing

transitive verb

1 : to put forward as an overture

2 : to make or present an overture to

First Known Use of overture

1655

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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OVERTURE Defined for English Language Learners

overture

noun

Definition of overture for English Language Learners

: a piece of music played at the start of an opera, a musical play, etc.
: something that is offered or suggested with the hope that it will start a relationship, lead to an agreement, etc.
: the first part of an event : the beginning of something