SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

the opera

Definition of the opera

: an opera performance or opera performances Have you ever been to the opera? I enjoy going to the opera.

Word by Word Definitions

: plural ofopus

: a drama set to music and made up of vocal pieces with orchestral accompaniment and orchestral overtures (see ¹overture 2) and interludes (see interlude 3)
: grand opera
: the score (see ¹score 6) of a musical drama

See the full definition of opera

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up the opera? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

perspicuous

play

clear to the understanding

Words at Play

alt-594d2b6325245

'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength

Do you take pride in Pride?

Pink: The Color that Will Change Your Life

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5

'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

Ask the Editors

Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us

June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz

alt-5941ad7527c3c

Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game