opportunity
Americannoun
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an appropriate or favorable time or occasion.
Their meeting afforded an opportunity to exchange views.
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a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.
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a good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.
noun
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a favourable, appropriate, or advantageous combination of circumstances
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a chance or prospect
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of opportunity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English opportunite, from Middle French, from Latin opportūnitās “convenience, fitness,” equivalent to opportūn(us) ( see opportune) + -itās -ity
Explanation
Seize the noun, opportunity, if you're talking about circumstances that allow you do to something you'd like to do. Wouldn't you love to have the opportunity to meet your favorite musician? When the situation is right for you to do something you're interested in doing, you have the opportunity to do it. The word comes from the Latin phrase, ob portum veniens "coming toward a port" which refers to a favorable wind blowing ships into the harbor. Think of an opportunity as something a good wind blew your way.
Vocabulary lists containing opportunity
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Words for a New Year
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
About 90% of children born in 1945 were earning more than their parents at age 30, but only about 50% of those who were born in 1985 did, according to Harvard’s Opportunity Insights.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
About the authors: Jon Hartley is a policy fellow at the Hoover Institution and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the worker’s Christian denomination celebrates the sabbath on Saturdays.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
In 1996, he sharply criticized the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which cut federal benefits for many legal immigrants.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
We have this thing called Opportunity Period, or O.P.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
