opus
Americannoun
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opuses,
plural
-
opera
plural
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a musical composition.
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one of the compositions of a composer, usually numbered according to the order of publication.
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a literary work or composition, as a book: op.
Have you read her latest opus?
noun
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an artistic composition, esp a musical work
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(often capital) (usually followed by a number) a musical composition by a particular composer, generally catalogued in order of publication
Beethoven's opus 61 is his violin concerto
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of opus
1695–1705; < Latin: work, labor, a work
Explanation
An opus is a created work, usually musical in nature. The composer's greatest opus was inspired by the blooming of the spring flowers. While an opus is a piece of work, usually musical, the best way to remember it is to know that the preferred plural of opus is opera which everyone associates with music. You can also say opuses for the plural if you want, but how is that going to help you remember anything? A common usage of opus is with the term magnum opus which refers to one’s greatest work, musical or otherwise.
Vocabulary lists containing opus
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Music - Middle School
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Music - High School
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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:
Shibuya’s schedule favors favorites such as D’Angelo’s “Voodoo,” Radiohead’s “Kid A,” or Charles Mingus’ self-titled opus.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
The Surge was pleased to publish a quick li’l 4,000-plus-word opus this week on Sen. Susan Collins and what makes her such a tough opponent.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
While Mr. Livingston is unstinting in his admiration for Mr. Sumption’s opus, and often cites it in his endnotes, he offers many valuable insights of his own, delivered in a lively, conversational style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
But through Bad Bunny, Puerto Rico had something to say: He tapped into his unique star power with his zeitgeist-defining magnum opus, his 2025 album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
It is the opening of John Keegan’s 1993 magnum opus, A History of Warfare: War is not the continuation of policy by other means.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Instead, they have handpicked an unlikely cast of mostly political outsiders to represent them, including a cardiologist, a former central-bank governor, a basketball legend and an opera singer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Nearby, the 1930s modernist villa of Hungarian opera singer Rózsi Walter was restored and reopened in 2022 as an architecture museum, with an emphasis on the legacy of Hungarian-American architect and designer Marcel Breuer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Fremantle, producer of the now-defunct Australian TV soap opera, has partnered with US-based RoseBerry Media for the project that will use AI to "scan decades of episodes" to help make short vertical videos.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
In a climate that’s increasingly precarious for all arts organizations, opera houses are trying to figure out how to maintain a centuries-old tradition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Today was our first music appreciation lesson, and we listened to a classical opera song, followed by some big-band jazz tunes from Duke Ellington.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Two summers ago, the most overt commonality shared by Greta Gerwig’s and Christopher Nolan’s opuses was a release date pitting the predicted box office whales against each other.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2025
Still, there would be no “Sonata Pathétique” without Prince Lichnowsky’s purse strings, no Sistine Chapel without Pope Julius II, no bold young talents like Corbet making their worthy magnum opuses without someone footing the bill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2024
The movies surrounding it are all spectacles of one kind or another: superhero opuses, space operas, historical and biblical epics.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2022
For those who think the opuses of John Zorn can be sorted into discrete aesthetic silos — whether jazz, classical or even metal in nature — “The Turner Etudes” offers a corrective.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2020
His opuses are in demand And are the final test By which all others fall or stand In this the mighty west!
From Hoosier Lyrics by Eugene Field
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