opener

American  

[oh-puh-ner] / ˈoʊ pə nər /

noun

• openers
  plural

1. a person or thing that opens.

2. a device for 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

Derived Forms

• self-opener
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• openers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of opener

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

opener openers

They scored seven tries before the break and 13 in total on their way to a comprehensive 70-6 victory in Perth in their Group A opener.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Jeanie was seen at the Lakers’ home preseason opener on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The re-shuffle means eye-catching call-ups for Rew and Jack, while opener Aneurin Donald keeps his place after making his debut in the series against Sri Lanka last month.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

But not third-party smart home apps if, say, you use a Ring camera or a garage opener that isn’t compatible with the company’s HomeKit platform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

She searched through one or two drawers, looking for a can opener.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

She read about the Sheeran-Macklemore controversy recently, but wasn’t too upset about the openers leaving the tour: She was there for the headliner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

There will be added frustration from this innings, though, as their openers started so brightly by reaching 55-0 from the first five overs.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Soon, Sheeran agreed to drop Macklemore from his tour, and Sheeran’s other openers quit in solidarity.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026

The 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals all won their openers, putting the Rams in last place in the NFC West.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

But I couldn’t help staring at the two giant bronze guys with tall bladed wings like letter openers.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

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