opening
o·pen·ing / ˈōp(ə)ning/ • n. 1. an aperture or gap, esp. one allowing access: she peered through one of the smaller openings. ∎ fig. an opportunity to achieve something: they seem to have exploited fully the openings offered. ∎ an available job or position: an opening for a professional engineer in the public works department.2. a beginning; an initial part: Maya started tapping out the opening of her story. ∎ a formal or official beginning: the official opening of the tourist season. ∎ the occasion of the first performance of a play, movie, etc., or the start of an exhibition, marked by a celebratory gathering. ∎ the occasion of a public building being officially ready for use, marked by a ceremony. ∎ Chess a recognized sequence of moves at the beginning of a game. ∎ an attorney's preliminary statement of a case in a court of law. ∎ an open piece of ground in a wooded area; a clearing: I reached an opening in the forest.• adj. coming at the beginning of something; initial: she stole the show with her opening remark.