opus
Americannoun
plural
opuses, opera-
a musical composition.
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one of the compositions of a composer, usually numbered according to the order of publication.
-
a literary work or composition, as a book: op.
Have you read her latest opus?
noun
-
an artistic composition, esp a musical work
-
(often capital) (usually followed by a number) a musical composition by a particular composer, generally catalogued in order of publication
Beethoven's opus 61 is his violin concerto
Etymology
Origin of opus
1695–1705; < Latin: work, labor, a work
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s the backdrop for Wall Street giant Citi’s 165-page opus on the global commodities outlook, written by strategists led by Maximilian Layton.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026
“Top Gun: Maverick,” perhaps the ultimate military movie in terms of tone, character and Tough Life Lessons, was the highest-grossing film in the Tom Cruise opus, and it’s OK that you’ve rewatched it three times.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
The following year Skepta released his own magnum opus, Konnichiwa.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025
The dictionary is Garner’s magnum opus, as essential to attorneys as Gray’s Anatomy is to physicians.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
As Darwin was beginning to write his opus on evolution in the spring of 1856, Gregor Mendel decided to return to Vienna to retake the teacher’s exam that he had failed in 1850.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.