1.[countableC]APM a short piece of music written as an introduction to a long piece of music, especially an opera 〔尤指歌剧的〕序曲,前奏曲
2overtures[plural]RELATIONSHIP an attempt to begin a friendlyrelationship with a person, country etc 〔试图与某人、某国等建立友好关系的〕主动表示,姿态
They began making overtures to the Irish government.
他们开始向爱尔兰政府表示友好。
She had rejected his overtures.
她拒绝了他的示好。
Examples from the Corpus
making overtures to• By 1987 he was busymaking overtures to Washington.• In fact, I had once or twice let myself be tempted into making overtures to her.
3.be an overtureINTRODUCEif an event is an overture to a more important event, it happens just before it and makes you expect it 是一个序幕〔表示某事是另一更为重要之事的开端〕