o ‧ pen ‧ er /ˈəʊp ə nə $ ˈoʊp ə nər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : the open, ↑ opener , ↑ opening , ↑ openness ; adjective : ↑ open , ↑ opening , ↑ unopened ; verb : ↑ open ; adverb : ↑ openly ]
1 . a tool that is used to open cans, bottles etc:
a can opener
a bottle opener
2 . the first of a series of games in a sports competition:
They are hoping to win tomorrow’s opener against New Zealand.
3 . for openers
a) British English as a beginning or first stage SYN to begin with :
For openers, the band played a couple of old Beatles songs.
b) American English used to give one reason, explanation etc for something, although there are others you might mention later too:
It’s tough being a reporter. For openers, there are the long hours.