opportunity
[noun]
Synonyms: chance, moment, occasion, opening, scope, time

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Related Words: room, space, leisure, liberty, relief, spell, turn, juncture, pass, dog's chance, hope, prayer

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

op‧por‧tu‧ni‧ty S1 W1 /ˌɒpəˈtjuːnəti, ˌɒpəˈtjuːnɪti $ ˌɑːpərˈtuː-/ noun (plural opportunities)

1. [uncountable and countable] a chance to do something or an occasion when it is easy for you to do something
opportunity to do something
a rare opportunity to see inside this historic building
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all.
opportunity for
Games and songs provide an opportunity for classroom interaction.

2. [countable] a chance to get a job or improve your situation at work:
There are fewer opportunities for new graduates this year. ⇒ equal opportunities at equal¹(2)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

opportunity
noun
ADJ. ample, considerable, plenty of We'll have plenty of opportunity to talk later.
limited, little, not much | excellent, favourable, golden, good, great, marvellous, tremendous, welcome, wonderful a golden opportunity to invest and export into new markets
exciting | ideal, perfect | suitable | reasonable We need to give them a reasonable opportunity to look at the display.
available | every Students should take every opportunity to widen their experience.
historic, once-in-a-lifetime, rare, unique, unparalleled, unprecedented, unrivalled | lost, missed, wasted | career, educational, employment, job, training | business, commercial, economic, investment, market, sales a missed sales opportunity
photo (= an opportunity to take photographs of famous or important people) | equal opportunities (= the principle of treating all people the same, regardless of sex. colour, etc.) an equal opportunities employer
VERB + OPPORTUNITY have | find, get We didn't get much opportunity to swim.
afford, create, give sb, offer (sb), open up, provide (sb with) to provide better educational opportunities
grasp, seize, take (up), take advantage of May I take this opportunity to congratulate Ruth on her promotion.
lose, miss He lost no opportunity to vent his anger on those around him.
pass up
OPPORTUNITY + VERB exist | arise, come, occur, offer When the opportunity came, I seized it with both hands. (formal) The company aimed to expand as and when opportunity offered.
PREP. ~ for The job will offer you excellent opportunities for promotion.
PHRASES at the earliest/first (possible) opportunity, at every (available) opportunity, equality of opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime, a window of opportunity The ceasefire has created a window of opportunity to rescue the peace process.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

opportunity

have opportunity
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel.
take/use opportunity (=do something you have a chance to do)
Several employees took the opportunity to retire early.
seize/grasp an opportunity (=do something very eagerly when you have the chance)
She saw an opportunity to speak to him, and seized it.
miss/lose an opportunity (=not do something you have a chance to do)
Dwyer never missed an opportunity to criticize her.
give somebody opportunity
The children should be given the opportunity to make their own choices.
get an opportunity
I decided to go, as I might never get this opportunity again.
provide/present/open up an opportunity
The course also provides an opportunity to study Japanese.
an opportunity comes (along/up)
We had outgrown our house when the opportunity came up to buy one with more land.
an opportunity arises
Perhaps she would explain later, if the opportunity arose.
a good/great/wonderful etc opportunity
It's a great opportunity to try new things.
the ideal/perfect opportunity
I'd been wanting to try sailing, and this seemed like the ideal opportunity.
a golden opportunity (=a very good opportunity)
The council has missed a golden opportunity to improve the town centre.
a rare/unique opportunity
a unique opportunity to stay in a real castle
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (=a very good opportunity that you will only get once)
For many athletes, the Olympics are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
a wasted/lost/missed opportunity (=one you do not use)
Many people see the failed talks as a missed opportunity for peace.
ample opportunity/plenty of opportunity (=a number of chances to do something)
There will be ample opportunity for shopping.
limited/little opportunity (=not many chances)
They had little opportunity to discuss the issue beforehand.
a photo opportunity (=a chance to take a good photograph, especially of a particular person)
Parents will always look for good photo opportunities at their kid's graduation ceremony.
at the first/earliest opportunity (=as soon as possible)
He decided to leave school at the earliest opportunity.
at every (possible) opportunity (=whenever possible)
She went to the museum at every opportunity.
a window of opportunity (=a time when you can do something)
The other team started making mistakes, but we didn't take advantage of this window of opportunity.
a land of opportunity (=a country where people have a lot of good opportunities)
America was then seen as a land of opportunity.
the opportunity of a lifetime (=a very good opportunity that you will only get once)
The winner of the contest got the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to work with a top fashion designer.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

opportunity
noun
BAD: There is an opportunity that David's father will come tonight.
GOOD: There is a chance that David's father will come tonight.

Usage Note:
When you talk about the likelihood of something happening, use chance (NOT opportunity ): 'I think she has a good chance of passing.' 'There's very little chance that anyone has survived the crash.'
Compare: 'Tomorrow's test will be an opportunity/a chance for you to find out how much you know.' (= a particular time when something is possible)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲