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
In the popular overture, elicitation of tumult concludes, with startling exhilaration, in the kind of grand Beethovenian triumph that never fails to excite.
—
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The winds have been blowing in the direction of the Jets tagging Hall since the trade deadline, when general manager Darren Mougey resisted overtures from other teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, who, per ESPN, offered a fourth-round pick.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Even before the curtain rose on Friday, the audience was roareing their approval for the orchestra’s note-perfect performance of the popular overture.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
As anyone who watches nineties-era romantic comedies knows, there’s a fine line between charming overtures and boneheaded actions that result in deep psychological wounds.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overture
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The winds have been blowing in the direction of the Jets tagging Hall since the trade deadline, when general manager Darren Mougey resisted overtures from other teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, who, per ESPN, offered a fourth-round pick.
—Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Even before the curtain rose on Friday, the audience was roareing their approval for the orchestra’s note-perfect performance of the popular overture.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
As anyone who watches nineties-era romantic comedies knows, there’s a fine line between charming overtures and boneheaded actions that result in deep psychological wounds.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overture
prelude
Noun
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Mays is wheelchair-bound for this wheezing prelude, so there’s a bit of a magic act that seems to happen when he is transformed into a young Salieri for most of what follows.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
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This self-mocking move may be just the prelude to a fuller jeans-guy renaissance, Heffernan suggested.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overture. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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