a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
"The audience held its breath as the opera's dramatic climax unfolded, featuring soaring vocals backed by a swelling orchestra."
a commercial browser
"After installing the new opera browser, I was able to stream my favorite shows without any lag."
a building where musical dramas are performed
"We spent an entire evening inside the opera enjoying the live performance of Puccini's famous tragedy."
A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
"The curator organized the gallery exhibition around the composer's late opera, displaying his most significant works from that period."
plural of opus; a collection of work.
In plain English: Opera is a dramatic performance that combines singing, acting, and music to tell a story.
"My grandmother loves to attend opera performances at the local theater."
Usage: When referring to the performing arts, opera denotes a dramatic work set to music with singing and orchestral accompaniment. Do not use this term to mean a single creative piece or a collection of works, which is the correct meaning of the plural form opus.
The word opera comes directly from Italian, where it originally referred to a dramatic work set to music. It entered English as a loanword to describe this specific art form.