opportunity

From opportune +‎ -ity, from Middle French opportunité, from Latin opportūnitās.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/, /-ˈt͡ʃuː.-/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (General American) enPR: ä'pər-to͞oʹnə-tē, IPA^(key): /ˌɑ.pɚˈt(j)u.nə.ti/, [-ɾi]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: op‧por‧tun‧i‧ty

opportunity (countable and uncountable, plural opportunities)

1. A chance for advancement, progress or profit.

   seize the opportunity

   take an opportunity

   missed opportunity

   The world is full of opportunities and it's up to me to see them and pursue them.

   the opportunity came and went

   You'll get a second opportunity if you miss this one.

   • 1935, “letter”, in Department of science, art and literature: Hearings before the Committee on Patents, page 112:

     The chairman of the committee will be very glad to give you the opportunity to express your views, whether of proponency or opponency.

   • 1968, Leonard E. Goodall, The American Metropolis, page 5:

     Unfortunately, the job opportunities they are seeking are often more hoped for than real, […]

   • 2011 October 23, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     Chelsea also struggled to keep possession as QPR harried and chased at every opportunity, giving their opponents no time on the ball.

2. A favorable circumstance or occasion.

   Having a holiday is a great opportunity to relax.

3. (nonstandard, Euro-English) Opportuneness.

   The Court questioned the opportunity of introducing these measures in such an uncertain economic climate.

• opportune
• opportunism
• opportunist
• opportunistic

• “opportunity”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “opportunity”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.