opportunity
Americannoun
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an appropriate or favorable time or occasion.
Their meeting afforded an opportunity to exchange views.
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a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.
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a good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.
noun
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a favourable, appropriate, or advantageous combination of circumstances
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a chance or prospect
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of opportunity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English opportunite, from Middle French, from Latin opportūnitās “convenience, fitness,” equivalent to opportūn(us) ( see opportune) + -itās -ity
Explanation
Seize the noun, opportunity, if you're talking about circumstances that allow you do to something you'd like to do. Wouldn't you love to have the opportunity to meet your favorite musician? When the situation is right for you to do something you're interested in doing, you have the opportunity to do it. The word comes from the Latin phrase, ob portum veniens "coming toward a port" which refers to a favorable wind blowing ships into the harbor. Think of an opportunity as something a good wind blew your way.
Vocabulary lists containing opportunity
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Words for a New Year
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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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:
“Having this opportunity to have tickets for these kids and families, it’s going to be beyond their wildest dreams,” said Washington, who volunteered in the opening ceremony at the 1984 L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Cardiff's Principality Stadium would welcome the opportunity to host Fury-Joshua, but the fight would have to be held on either Saturday, 31 October or Saturday, 28 November.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
European officials said that leaves emergency responders a small window of opportunity to contain the fires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“We want to see companies ideally that have an open-ended growth opportunity in front of them,” for several quarters, or even for several years, Nelson said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
“I think you’ll soon see it’s an opportunity to excel.”
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
It only made him more excited for future opportunities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
He moved from his home country Sri Lanka in 1987 for better work opportunities during the economic bubble.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
SLB has looked beyond the Middle East, capitalizing on revenue opportunities in other regions and in the AI market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
That could create new opportunities for studying consciousness, memory, emotional processing, and mental health.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Second, Jefferson suggested that Adams’s description of aristocratic power was appropriate for Europe, where feudal privileges, family titles, and more limited economic opportunities created conditions that sustained class distinctions.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
