opus
Americannoun
plural
opuses, opera-
a musical composition.
-
one of the compositions of a composer, usually numbered according to the order of publication.
-
a literary work or composition, as a book: op.
Have you read her latest opus?
noun
-
an artistic composition, esp a musical work
-
(often capital) (usually followed by a number) a musical composition by a particular composer, generally catalogued in order of publication
Beethoven's opus 61 is his violin concerto
Etymology
Origin of opus
1695–1705; < Latin: work, labor, a work
Explanation
An opus is a created work, usually musical in nature. The composer's greatest opus was inspired by the blooming of the spring flowers. While an opus is a piece of work, usually musical, the best way to remember it is to know that the preferred plural of opus is opera which everyone associates with music. You can also say opuses for the plural if you want, but how is that going to help you remember anything? A common usage of opus is with the term magnum opus which refers to one’s greatest work, musical or otherwise.
Vocabulary lists containing opus
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Music - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Music - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
The new Claude Design tool is powered by Anthropic’s latest update to the Claude model, called Claude Opus 4.7.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Anthropic is using Opus 4.7’s real-world deployment to develop safeguards for its powerful Mythos model, also shared via Project Glasswing.
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
Pinnaka says the creation of his AI agent engineering team followed the natural evolution of Claude Code, which was dramatically improved when Anthropic released the Opus 4.6 model in early February.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Kimi K2.5 ranks among the top-tier models on AI benchmark Artificial Analysis, though it still trails leading Western frontier models such as Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6 Max.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
If nothing else, he now understood why he couldn’t raise money for Milton’s Opus.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
