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
The country is undoubtedly seeking to deepen its trade ties with other partners and has been making overtures in recent weeks, with leaders even meeting with officials from Korea and Japan for the first time in five years in the interest of strengthening collaboration.
—
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 21 Apr. 2025
Wary of a new regime led by former jihadists, a small minority of Druze have welcomed Israel’s overtures, but many others have publicly denounced them.
—Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
Not exactly the romantic overture Arnault was hoping for.
—Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Most teams in the four to 15 range had similar sensibilities, and the overtures the Jags received from teams later in the round weren’t overly enticing.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 21 Apr. 2025
Wary of a new regime led by former jihadists, a small minority of Druze have welcomed Israel’s overtures, but many others have publicly denounced them.
—Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
Not exactly the romantic overture Arnault was hoping for.
—Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Most teams in the four to 15 range had similar sensibilities, and the overtures the Jags received from teams later in the round weren’t overly enticing.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overture
prelude
Noun
-
Many legal experts consider this questioning of a private right of action as the prelude to the next potential showdown over the Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court, where multiple rulings by the court's conservative majority have eroded the law's protections over the past decade.—
Hansi Lo Wang,
NPR,
14 May 2025
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And that was just the prelude to the evening’s main event: a runway show of the 163 jewels in Diorexquis, and 25 couture creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri, staged around an ornamental reflecting pool that, at 45 meters, stops just shy of Olympic dimensions.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overture. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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