How to Use overture in a Sentence

overture

noun
  • The government has made a significant peace overture by opening the door to negotiation.
  • The soaring overture alone was enough to bring tears to the eyes.
    — Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, 10 Dec. 2021
  • Even when the houselights dim mid-overture some of them still don’t shut up.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
  • As the overture plays, the characters are all lined up on the stage.
    — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Aug. 2023
  • Injuries got in the way before the overture was played and the fun could begin.
    — Dom Amore, courant.com, 27 Mar. 2022
  • This is a major sci-fi franchise tentpole… that has an overture.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
  • In all, Paramount made six overtures over 12 weeks.
    — Aaron Weinman, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2025
  • And some observers have questioned the value of the overture so long after the fact.
    — Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2022
  • All their albums open with a song named after the band, acting as overture and moodboard.
    — Brady Gerber, SPIN, 10 Oct. 2022
  • Quality is in the cracks and details, not just in the massive overtures.
    — Ashley Yetman, Fortune, 23 May 2026
  • Altman resisted any trade overtures at the time.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Zein promptly flew to Beirut and told Arafat about Casey’s overture.
    — Jonathan Alter, The New Republic, 3 May 2023
  • And Cassidy's overtures to Trump voters may fall flat as well.
    — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 16 May 2026
  • But Bologne’s overture felt too brief in a concert that lasted nearly two hours.
    — Jason McCool, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Jan. 2022
  • My overture was received as poorly as my friends had predicted.
    — Agnes Callard, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2022
  • Scripps has rejected such overtures.
    — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Whether that holds true will depend on her political overtures.
    — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
  • This was both an overture to foreign business and a kind of domestic glasnost.
    — Han Zhang, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Perfect for those chilly fall evenings or as a stylish spring overture, its knitted design promises comfort.
    — Kathy Barr, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
  • The overture from the Eagles, who wanted to talk to him the following day, caught him off guard.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026
  • Gruden, according to those sources, declined the team’s overtures.
    — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The aspirations of this performance will be signaled from first notes of the overture.
    — New York Times, 13 Apr. 2022
  • The overture had taken on a symphonic scale and dimension.
    — Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2026
  • The title track kicks off with a tornado of high-speed shred that plays like the headbanger’s version of a classical overture.
    — Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023
  • Bates was in the orchestra, playing beats on his laptop, and those present warmly applauded this fun overture.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2022
  • Time will tell if the overture finds its way back into the open arenas and lawns of late-August classical music events.
    — Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022
  • But the overture reflects the growing pressure on Tuberville and even Democrats to end the impasse.
    — David Sivak, Washington Examiner, 13 July 2023
  • Caldwell made an overture to TK Records, and the label signed him within a couple of days.
    — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2023
  • Protect your energy by responding to social overtures on your schedule — not the world’s.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Now my day can start with, say, listening to Wagner…the overture to Tannhäuser.
    — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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