as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
the parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend of fun and festivities
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Recent Examples of overture
Trump is speaking after a series of dramatic changes in the Russia-Ukraine war, which has soured relations with Ukraine and Western European countries after Trump made a series of peace overtures to Russia.
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Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Feb. 2025
The alignment of the ambassadors, seated to the president's far left, has been upended by Trump's determination to end the war in Ukraine, with friendly overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin and an Oval Office brawl Friday that sent Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy packing.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2025
This policy overture is just one in a slew of immigration crackdown policies and Executive Orders that the Trump Administration has put forth.
—Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
There have been multiple past pathways to statehood — from the absorption of the 13 colonies under the Articles of Confederation, to Congress formally agreeing to Texas’ request to be annexed as the 28th state, but only after rejecting previous overtures from the then-republic.
—Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Feb. 2025
The alignment of the ambassadors, seated to the president's far left, has been upended by Trump's determination to end the war in Ukraine, with friendly overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin and an Oval Office brawl Friday that sent Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy packing.
—Susan Page, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2025
This policy overture is just one in a slew of immigration crackdown policies and Executive Orders that the Trump Administration has put forth.
—Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
There have been multiple past pathways to statehood — from the absorption of the 13 colonies under the Articles of Confederation, to Congress formally agreeing to Texas’ request to be annexed as the 28th state, but only after rejecting previous overtures from the then-republic.
—Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
Cite this Entry
“Overture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overture. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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