opener
nounUK /ˈəʊ.pən.ə/ · US /ˈoʊ.pən.ɚ/
Etymology From Middle English oppinnare, opynnare, from Old English openere, equivalent to open + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).
13 senses
- 1A person who opens something.
- 2A device that opens something; specifically a…
- 3An establishment that opens.
- 4The player who starts the betting.
- 5Cards of sufficient value to enable a player to open the betting.
- 6A person employed to separate sheets of hot metal that…
- 7The first act in a variety show or concert.
- 8A batsman or bowler who normally plays in the first two…
- 9The first in a series of events, items etc.; the first…
- 10The first game played in a competition.
- 11A opening goal.
- 12A period of time when it is legal to commercially fish.
- 13A pitcher who specializes in getting the first outs of a…
A person who opens something.
- Have you, like the opener of this debate, discovered, sapiently enough, that "the peace party, with Lord Aberdeen at their head, were the chief cause of the war"?1863, The British Controversialist: And Literary Magazine, page 122:
A device that opens something; specifically a tin-opener/can-opener, or a bottle opener.
In compounds An establishment that opens.
- The late-night openers in the mall include two restaurants and a clothing store.
Card games, Games The player who starts the betting.
Card games, Games In plural Cards of sufficient value to enable a player to open the betting.
Arts, Crafts, Engineering, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Metallurgy, Metalworking, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A person employed to separate sheets of hot metal that become stuck together.
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Theater The first act in a variety show or concert.
Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A batsman or bowler who normally plays in the first two positions of an innings.
Colloquial The first in a series of events, items etc.; the first remark or sentence of a conversation.
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The first game played in a competition.
- The opener came from a Jarvis ball which struck Aleksandar Kolarov en route to a lively round of pinball between City players before it was poked in by Milijas.2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC:
- England were on the scoreboard after only one minute, Wilkinson, who missed five penalties in his side's opener against the Pumas, knocking over a three-pointer from bang in front, despite boos from the crowd.2011 September 24, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 67-3 Romania”, in BBC Sport:
1 more example
- His debut was highly anticipated, but Rodgers only saw 94 seconds of game time as he suffered the significant injury in the Jets’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills when he was sacked by edge rusher Leonard Floyd, only four plays in.2023 December 20, Sam Joseph, “Aaron Rodgers writes off this season as ‘lost year,’ but quarterback says he feels ‘I can play more years’ in NFL”, in CNN:
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A opening goal.
Fishing, Hobbies, Lifestyle A period of time when it is legal to commercially fish.
Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A pitcher who specializes in getting the first outs of a game before being replaced, either by a long reliever or a pitcher who would normally start.
- The Rays debuted the opener—in which a reliever starts the game and throws anywhere from one to three innings, then gives way to a new pitcher, who will usually throw three to five as essentially a second starter—on May 19 against the Angels, using veteran righty Sergio Romo to pitch the first.2018 August 23, Jon Tayler, “How the Tampa Bay Rays Reinvented the Concept of Starting Pitching”, in Sports Illustrated:
- Derived terms
- bottle-opener, door opener, eye-opener, for openers, jar opener, letter opener, pew-opener, pipe-opener
- Hyponyms
- bottle opener, can opener, tin opener