1. (

• overture ,

) orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio ;

2. (

• preliminary ,
• overture ,
• prelude

) something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows; "training is a necessary preliminary to employment"; "drinks were the overture to dinner" ;

3. (

• overture ,
• advance ,
• approach ,
• feeler

) a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others; "she rejected his advances" ;