opener

American  

[oh-puh-ner] / ˈoʊ pə nər /

noun

1. a person or thing that opens.

2. a device for opening opening sealed containers.

   can opener.

3. the first of several theatrical numbers, variety acts, sports events, etc..

   a humorous monologue as an opener.

4. Poker. openers, cards in a hand, as a pair of jacks or better, that according to a given standard are worth enough to enable the holder to make the first bet of a deal.

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idioms

1. for openers, as an initially stated reason or argument; at the outset; to begin with.

   Well, for openers, I don't have the money.

opener British  

/ ˈəʊpənə /

noun

1. an instrument used to open sealed containers such as tins or bottles

   a bottle opener

2. a person who opens, esp the player who makes the first bid or play

3. the first or opening section or episode in a series

4. the first song, act, etc, in a variety show

5. (plural) a start; beginning (esp in the phrase for openers )

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Other Word Forms

• self-opener noun

Etymology

Origin of opener

First recorded in 1540–50; open + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Baseball let Netflix hijack its season opener with goofy wrestlers and dancers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Orange Lutheran plays Fountain Valley in a 9 a.m. opener at JSerra.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The Angels celebrated their 2026 home opener on Friday, and the fans booed the ceremonial first pitch.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Liverpool's Harvey Elliott was named player of the tournament, scoring six goals including the opener in the final win over Germany, but Anderson also stood out and was picked in the best XI.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

My daddy sucked in his breath as I told them about the letter opener and forgetting the last two sticks and David coming to pick me up.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

Related Words

• birth
• creation
• dawn
• inauguration
• inception
• introduction
• onset
• opening
• outset
• starting point
• top