opening time

British

noun

the time at which public houses can legally start selling alcoholic drinks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

At the main office of the Cubamax company in Hialeah, northwest of Miami, which handles remittances, shipping and travel, about 10 customers lined up before opening time.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Among those in line before the 11 a.m. opening time in recent days were tourists from across the world.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2024

He became the seventh Australian to wear the yellow jersey as race leader at the Tour de France by winning the opening time trial in 2015, setting a race record for his average speed.

From Washington Times • Jan. 1, 2024

Along with two closures, seven other schools in Newport have delayed their opening time to 10:00 GMT, to allow snow to be cleared.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2023

We get to parties half an hour before the opening time; she is afraid of being a minute late.

From The Angel and the Author, and others by Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka)

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