opener

open +‎ -er

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈəʊ.pən.ə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈoʊ.pən.ɚ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈəʉ.pən.ə/, /ˈəʉp.nə/

  • Audio (AU)

    (file)

opener (plural openers)

1. A person who opens something.
   • 1863, The British Controversialist: And Literary Magazine, page 122:

     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"?

2. A device that opens something; specifically a tin-opener/can-opener, or a bottle opener.
3. (in combination) An establishment that opens.

   The late-night openers in the mall include two restaurants and a clothing store.

4. (card games) The player who starts the betting.
5. (card games, in the plural) Cards of sufficient value to enable a player to open the betting.
6. (metalworking) A person employed to separate sheets of hot metal that become stuck together.
7. (theater) The first act in a variety show or concert.
8. (cricket) A batsman who normally plays in the first two positions of an innings.
9. (colloquial) The first in a series of events, items etc.; the first remark or sentence of a conversation.
10. (sports) The first game played in a competition.
    • 2011 September 24, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 67-3 Romania”, in BBC Sport‎:

      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.

11. (sports) The first goal or point scored.
    • 2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC‎:

      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.

12. (fishing) A period of time when it is legal to commercially fish.
13. (baseball) 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.
    • 2018 August 23, Jon Tayler, “How the Tampa Bay Rays Reinvented the Concept of Starting Pitching”, in Sports Illustrated‎:

      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.

• -perone, Perone, pereon, perone, poneer, reopen, repone