- present participle of open.
opening
Americannoun
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openings
plural
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an act or instance of making or becoming open.
The opening of the tomb gathered much publicity.
- Antonyms:
- closing
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the act of a person or thing that opens.
Her opening of the ceremony was brilliantly handled.
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an unobstructed or unoccupied space or place.
That narrow opening between buildings is a good place to shelter from the rain.
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a void in solid matter; a gap, hole, or aperture.
There was a little opening in the door they used as a peephole.
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a tract of land thinly wooded as compared with adjoining forest tracts.
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the act of beginning; start; commencement.
Tomorrow is the opening of a new session of Congress.
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the first part or initial stage of anything.
During the opening, the store had extra late hours.
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an employment vacancy; an unfilled position or job.
There are no openings for waitstaff at the moment.
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an opportunity; chance.
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a formal or official beginning, as of a sport season or a season's sale of goods.
Today marks the opening of the deer-hunting season.
Swimsuits sold well at the summer opening.
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the first performance of a theatrical production.
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the first public showing or use of something.
It's rare for there to be so many journalists at the opening of an art exhibition.
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a celebration of the first public showing or performance or of the first use or start of something.
The new supermarket is going to give away prizes at its opening.
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Law. the statement of the case made by counsel to the court or jury preliminary to adducing evidence.
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a mode of beginning a game.
a manual of chess openings.
adjective
noun
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the act of making or becoming open
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a vacant or unobstructed space, esp one that will serve as a passageway; gap
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a tract in a forest in which trees are scattered or absent
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the first part or stage of something
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the first performance of something, esp a theatrical production
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( as modifier )
the opening night
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a specific or formal sequence of moves at the start of any of certain games, esp chess or draughts
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an opportunity or chance, esp for employment or promotion in a business concern
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law the preliminary statement made by counsel to the court or jury before adducing evidence in support of his case
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of opening
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; open ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. )
Explanation
An opening is an empty space. That opening in the back of your closet might lead to a secret room. A job opening, on the other hand, is an available job that could open you up to an entirely new career. There are openings in crowds you can slip through if you're in a hurry, and openings, or availabilities, in classes you really want to take. You can also use this versatile noun to mean the very first performance of a play or the initial night of an art show. Many things that come first are openings, in fact, like the opening move in a chess game or the opening scene of your novel.
Vocabulary lists containing opening
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.
See Examples For:
Just before the opening of trading Thursday morning, Citadel and Situational agreed to a deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Solís is flying in for the opening, and says he knows of many other chefs from around the world who are traveling to Copenhagen to show their support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Bangles were on tour opening for George Michael; the Dead had a gig at the University of New Orleans’ Lakefront Arena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Last week the government shared these additional opening hours, external during August:
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Three long columns raved about the opening and the feature itself.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
After a burst of new job openings and hiring in the spring, a resurgent U.S. labor market appears to have lost some momentum.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Many of us appreciate artistic execution that leaves plenty of openings for wild interpretations.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
The revenue growth was driven by new restaurant openings and, to a lesser extent, comparable restaurant sales, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
That can get “really thrown off if openings are delayed” or shut down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Thumbing through copies of each edition, Bobby made a mental note of which openings being played around the world won more games than others and which seemed too unorthodox.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
