as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
the parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend of fun and festivities
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Recent Examples of overture
The person and his wife have now made several overtures toward reconciling with us.
—
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 June 2025
The following year, Ahmadinejad made his own overture to Washington in an 18-page letter to President Bush.
—Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
Despite the once-powerful Democrat’s apparent overtures to gain the president’s sympathy, Trump has remained mum.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 18 June 2025
Yet historically speaking, Trump’s diplomatic overtures to Israel’s adversaries are not new.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 June 2025
The following year, Ahmadinejad made his own overture to Washington in an 18-page letter to President Bush.
—Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
Despite the once-powerful Democrat’s apparent overtures to gain the president’s sympathy, Trump has remained mum.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 18 June 2025
Yet historically speaking, Trump’s diplomatic overtures to Israel’s adversaries are not new.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overture
prelude
Noun
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The event will serve as a prelude to the main iHeartCountry Festival show later that evening at 7 p.m. the Moody Center.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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Yet the Southern California scores were a modest prelude to the job in Lebec.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overture. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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