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opera

1 American  
[oh-per-uh, op-er-uh] / ˈoʊ pər ə, ˈɒp ər ə /

noun

Chiefly Music.

  1. a plural of opus.

opera 2 American  
[op-er-uh, op-ruh] / ˈɒp ər ə, ˈɒp rə /

noun

  1. an extended dramatic composition, in which all parts are sung to instrumental accompaniment, that usually includes arias, choruses, and recitatives, and that sometimes includes ballet.

  2. the form or branch of musical and dramatic art represented by such compositions.

  3. the score or the words of such a composition.

  4. a performance of one.

    to go to the opera.

  5. (sometimes initial capital letter) an opera house or resident company.

    the Paris Opera.
opera 1 British  
/ ˈɒpərə /

noun

  1. a plural of opus

"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
opera 2 British  
/ ˈɒprə, ˈɒpərə /

noun

  1. an extended dramatic work in which music constitutes a dominating feature, either consisting of separate recitatives, arias, and choruses, or having a continuous musical structure

  2. the branch of music or drama represented by such works

  3. the score, libretto, etc, of an opera

  4. a theatre where opera is performed

"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
opera Cultural  

  1. A musical drama that is totally or mostly sung. Aïda , Carmen, and Don Giovanni are some celebrated operas. A light, comic opera is often called an operetta.

Etymology

Origin of opera

1635–45; < Italian: work, opera < Latin, plural of opus service, work, a work, opus

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.

Folk songs now entered mainstream American printed music alongside opera selections, etudes and parlor ballads.

From The Wall Street Journal

She was known for her versatility, blending jazz, opera, classical music and soul.

From BBC

"I walked past the building the other day, and you can hear the opera music and the musicians and the actors and there's just so much energy there."

From BBC

The colorful Moira Rose was a city socialite and former soap opera star before her family’s fortune turned and they wound up living in “the sticks,” surrounded by simple folk.

From Los Angeles Times

But as the satirically pompous, high-strung Moira Rose, the uncomfortably broke former soap opera queen and matriarch of the hit Canadian sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” O’Hara achieved universal acclaim and endless memeability.

From Salon

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.