- the first of a series of actions
"he memorized all the important chess openings"

- the act of opening something
"the ray of light revealed his cautious opening of the door"

- becoming open or being made open
"the opening of his arms was the sign I was waiting for"

- an entrance equipped with a hatch

- especially a passageway between decks of a ship

- a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made
"they left a small opening for the cat at the bottom of the door"

- an aperture or hole opening into a bodily cavity
"the orifice into the aorta from the lower left chamber of the heart"

- a possible alternative
"bankruptcy is always a possibility"

- the initial part of the introduction
"the opening established the basic theme"

- the first performance (as of a theatrical production)
"the opening received good critical reviews"

- a ceremony accompanying the start of some enterprise

- an open or empty space in or between things
"there was a small opening between the trees"
"the explosion made a gap in the wall"

- opportunity especially for employment or promotion
"there is an opening in the sales department"

- first or beginning
"the memorable opening bars of Beethoven''s Fifth"
"the play''s opening scene"

1. The act or process of opening; a beginning; commencement; first appearance; as, the opening of a speech.

"The opening of your glory was like that of light." -- Dryden.

2. A place which is open; a breach; an aperture; a gap; cleft, or hole.

"We saw him at the opening of his tent." -- Shak.

3. Hence: A vacant place; an opportunity; as, an opening for business. [Colloq.] Dickens.

4. A thinly wooded space, without undergrowth, in the midst of a forest; as, oak openings. [U.S.] Cooper.