ˈōp-niŋ
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in initial
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in unlocking
to change from a closed to an open position
please open the door to let the cat out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clearing
to make passage through (something) possible by removing obstructions
we need to open this drain that's clogged with hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in freeing
to rid the surface of (as an area) from things in the way
snowplows opened the runway without much trouble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of opening
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
Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2025
According to Playbill, despite the negative reviews, the show had been performing well at the box office, and made over $1 million a week post-opening.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
Since opening its Milpitas location in 1997, Giorgio’s has become a place where families gather, friends connect, and the community comes together to celebrate good food and good company.
—Amplified Content Studio, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
No specific re-opening date has been announced yet.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 15 Dec. 2025
According to Playbill, despite the negative reviews, the show had been performing well at the box office, and made over $1 million a week post-opening.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Verb
Minnesota was held scoreless on its first power play, and was out-shot in the opening 20 minutes, but still emerged with a two-goal lead via two shots through traffic that found their mark.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
Since opening its Milpitas location in 1997, Giorgio’s has become a place where families gather, friends connect, and the community comes together to celebrate good food and good company.
—Amplified Content Studio, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for opening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opening
Noun
-
For years, younger generations have flocked to big cities for better job opportunities, leaving a dwindling elderly population in rural villages.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Instead of pursuing chances to pitch reboots of Hollywood’s most beloved properties, scraping the bottom of the barrel might afford you more opportunities to make films that truly feel your own.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
And for those with chronic conditions, every year that passes without a cure closes the aperture on what quality of life is eventually possible.—
Becky Quick,
CNBC,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In Stubb’s Cave, strangler-fig roots teemed from ceiling apertures.—
Henry Wismayer,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
City officials say Tuesday's fire underscores the ongoing risks at the site and reinforces their call for broader state-level reform to address enforcement gaps at mobile home parks.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, choosing an insurance option that balances financial constraints with solid coverage is by no means simple, and many owners purchase policies that either cost more than necessary or have coverage gaps.—
Ethan M. Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
An initial target of £2,000 had doubled by the time Scunthorpe confirmed on Thursday that he had been discharged from hospital.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The initial childhood of Victor Frankenstein lends itself more to that age of enlightenment.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That shift turned out to be the key to unlocking dramatic improvements.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Ankles are the unsung gatekeepers of healthy movement, and unlocking their mobility can relieve tension throughout your body.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, clearing the hurdle of high up-front costs for batteries and chargers will make for lower long-term operating costs.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The researchers built a fully functioning quantum chip based on this qubit to validate its performance, clearing one of the key obstacles to efficient error correction and scalability for industrial systems.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The concept is expanding into practice in the state as a solution to regional food distribution challenges.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But while the plants are generating increasingly widespread enthusiasm, dark events are beginning to overshadow the news.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Some Americans are beginning to see this month's SNAP food benefits restored.—
Jennifer Ludden,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Opening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opening. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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