opening night

American

noun

the first performance of a theatrical attraction, taking place in the evening.

The audience was full of celebrities on opening night.

Etymology

Origin of opening night

First recorded in 1805–15

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.

But speaking after the show's opening night on Tuesday, the 39-year-old told the BBC she blocks out those comments.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe came through as honorary coach Vince Carter's Team Vince triumphed Friday in the Rising Stars Challenge on the opening night of NBA All-Star Weekend.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

That snippet of anthropological absurdism mutated into the brain-melting TV show “How to With John Wilson,” and now, the Emmy-nominated prankster-humanist has a feature playing on opening night.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

Yet opening night last week in this New York City suburb was hardly encouraging.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Krause has something at home; she’ll give it to Mariela before opening night.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023