opera

[ op-er-uh, op-ruh ]

/ ˈɒp ər ə, ˈɒp rə /

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See synonyms for: opera / operas on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.Compare comic opera, grand opera.

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

the score or the words of such a composition.

a performance of one: to go to the opera.

(sometimes initial capital letter) an opera house or resident company: the Paris Opera.

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Origin of opera

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

Words nearby opera

open verdict, open-web, open with, openwork, OPer., opera, operable, opéra bouffe, opera buffa, opera cloak, opéra comique

Other definitions for opera (2 of 2)

opera²

[ oh-per-uh, op-er-uh ]

/ ˈoʊ pər ə, ˈɒp ər ə /

noun Chiefly Music.

a plural of opus.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use opera in a sentence

Its graduates include comedian Dave Chappelle, opera singer Denyce Graves and Grammy-winning bass player Ben Williams.
Why did education leaders trash a school full of music, dance and art?|Jay Mathews|January 30, 2021|Washington Post
Still, Lincoln loved music, especially opera, and showed up but didn’t dance at his inaugural balls.
Not all presidents’ dance skills are created equal|Bonnie Berkowitz, Joanne Lee|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
Charles Wuorinen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who wrote the groundbreaking opera “Brokeback Mountain,” died on March 11 at age 81 from complications from a fall in Manhattan.
In memoriam|Kathi Wolfe|December 30, 2020|Washington Blade
When she sat down at her computer one morning this spring, Kitty O’Meara didn’t intend to write an iconic poem, a children’s book or an opera.
The story behind ‘And the People Stayed Home,’ the little poem that became so much more|Nora Krug|December 10, 2020|Washington Post

It was mid-September and Sander hadn’t performed in an opera for six months.
Why Vienna opera singers are ready to risk their lives to perform in a pandemic|Julia Belluz|September 30, 2020|Vox
It was a Senate floor soap opera over none other than a soap-opera producer.
U.S. Embassies Have Always Been for Sale|William O’Connor|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One of the most horrific episodes of the Vietnam War is being made into a government-funded opera.
The My Lai Massacre Inspires an Opera|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One beginning that amused him takes place at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In June, the executive offices of the Metropolitan Opera were broken into and graffitied with obscene messages.
Inside the Metropolitan Opera’s Insane Year|Shawn E. Milnes|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Metropolitan Opera is the old-school Cadillac of arts institutions.
Inside the Metropolitan Opera’s Insane Year|Shawn E. Milnes|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A small contingent of the members hurried off to applaud the successful comic opera of the hour.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
At the present time he was trombone in the “Tournée Gulland,” a touring opera company.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
That you did not steal from her house by a secret passage, on the night of the destruction of the opera-house?
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Certain evenings during the week she and her husband attended the opera or sometimes the play.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Fecit dextera Di virtutem: non est mortuus, sed vixit; & nunc incolumis narrat opera Di.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

British Dictionary definitions for opera (1 of 2)

opera¹

/ (ˈɒpərə, ˈɒprə) /

noun

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

the branch of music or drama represented by such works

the score, libretto, etc, of an opera

a theatre where opera is performed

Word Origin for opera

C17: via Italian from Latin: work, a work, plural of opus work

British Dictionary definitions for opera (2 of 2)

opera²

/ (ˈɒpərə) /

noun

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

Cultural definitions for opera

opera

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.

opera

Origin of opera

Words nearby opera

Other definitions for opera (2 of 2)

Words related to opera

How to use opera in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for opera (1 of 2)

Word Origin for opera

British Dictionary definitions for opera (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for opera