opening night

American

noun

the first performance of a theatrical attraction, taking place in the evening.

The audience was full of celebrities on opening night.

Etymology

Origin of opening night

First recorded in 1805–15

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.

He worked temp jobs and lived off dollar pizza while taking internships that might pay him in metro cards and free opening night food.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

During a month of rehearsals before opening night, Mykkanen made exercising and walking through Central Park part of his ritual to escape from the opera's dark themes.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

How about Australia, winners on opening night against Taiwan?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

The venue's general manager resigned on the planned opening night after the troubled opening.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

It’s opening night, and it feels like an opening because even though it’s still not completely dark, those Hollywood-premiere searchlights are sweeping across the sky.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

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