open

[ oh-puhn ]

adjective

1. not closed or barred at the time, as a doorway by a door, a window by a sash, or a gateway by a gate:

   to leave the windows open at night.

2. (of a door, gate, window sash, or the like) set so as to permit passage through the opening it can be used to close.
3. having no means of closing or barring:

   an open portico.

4. having the interior immediately accessible, as a box with the lid raised or a drawer that is pulled out.
5. relatively free of obstructions to sight, movement, or internal arrangement:

   an open floor plan.

6. constructed so as to be without cover or enclosure on the top or on some or all sides:

   an open boat.

7. having relatively large or numerous spaces, voids, or intervals:

   an open architectural screen; open ranks of soldiers.

8. perforated or porous:

   an open texture.

9. relatively unoccupied by buildings, fences, trees, etc.:

   open country.

10. not covered or closed; with certain parts apart:

    open eyes; open mouth.

11. without a covering, especially a protective covering; unprotected; unenclosed; exposed:

    an open wound; open electrical wires.

12. extended or unfolded:

    an open newspaper.

13. without restrictions as to who may participate:

    an open competition; an open session.

14. accessible or available to follow:

    the only course still open to us.

15. not taken or filled; not preempted; available; vacant:

    Which job is open?

16. ready for or carrying on normal trade or business:

    The new store is now open. The office is open on Saturdays.

17. not engaged or committed:

    Have you any open time on Monday?

18. accessible, as to appeals, ideas, or offers:

    to be open to suggestion.

19. exposed to general view or knowledge; existing, carried on, etc., without concealment:

    open disregard of the rules.

20. acting publicly or without concealment, as a person.
21. unreserved, candid, or frank, as persons or their speech, aspect, etc.:

    an open manner.

22. generous, liberal, or bounteous:

    to give with an open hand.

23. liable or subject:

    open to question; open to retaliation.

24. undecided; unsettled:

    several open questions.

25. without effective or enforced legal, commercial, or moral regulations:

    an open town.

26. unguarded by an opponent:

    an open wide receiver.

27. noting the part of the sea beyond headlands or enclosing areas of land:

    to sail on the open seas.

28. free of ice, as a body of water or a seaport.
29. free of navigational hazards:

    an open coast.

30. (of a seaport) available for foreign trade; not closed by government regulations or by considerations of health.
31. (of a microphone) in operation; live.
32. (of a delimiting punctuation mark) occurring at the beginning of a group of words or characters that is set off, as from surrounding text: Compare close ( def 47 ).

    open parenthesis; open quotes.

33. not yet balanced or adjusted, as an account.
34. not constipated, as the bowels.
35. Phonetics.
    1. (of a vowel) articulated with a relatively large opening above the tongue or with a relatively large oral aperture, as the vowel sound of cot compared with that in caught.
    2. (of a syllable) ending with a vowel.
    3. (of a consonant) continuant ( stop ).
36. Linguistics. (of a class of items) readily admitting new members, as the class of nouns, verbs, or adjectives ( closed ).
37. Printing.
    1. (of type) in outline form.
    2. widely spaced or leaded, as printed matter.
38. Music.
    1. (of an organ pipe) not closed at the far end.
    2. (of a string) not stopped by a finger.
    3. (of a note) produced by such a pipe or string or, on a wind instrument, without the aid of a slide, key, etc.
39. Mathematics.
    1. (of an interval) containing neither endpoint.
    2. (of a set) consisting of points having neighborhoods wholly contained in the set, as the set of points within a circle.
    3. (of a map from one topological space to another) having the property that the image of an open set is an open set.
40. free from frost; mild or moderate:

    an open winter.

41. Animal Husbandry. (of a female animal) not pregnant.
42. Textiles. (of a fabric or weave) so loosely woven that spaces are visible between warp and filling yarns.

verb (used with object)

1. to move (a door, window sash, etc.) from a shut or closed position so as to admit of passage.
2. to render (a doorway, gateway, window, etc.) unobstructed by moving a door, window sash, etc., away from it.
3. to render the interior of (a box, drawer, etc.) readily accessible.
4. to clear (a passage, channel, etc.) of obstructions.
5. to clear (areas or passages in the body).
6. to give access to; make accessible or available, as for use:

   to open a port for trade.

7. to establish for business purposes or for public use:

   to open an office.

8. to set in action, begin, start, or commence (sometimes followed by up ):

   to open a campaign.

9. to uncover, lay bare, or expose to view.
10. to expand, unfold, or spread out:

    to open a map.

11. to make less compact, less closely spaced, or the like:

    to open ranks.

12. to disclose, reveal, or divulge.
13. to render accessible to knowledge, enlightenment, sympathy, etc.:

    to open one's mind.

14. to cut, blast, or break into:

    to open a safe with nitro.

15. to make or produce (an opening) by cutting or breaking, or by pushing aside or removing obstructions:

    to open a way through a crowd.

16. to make an incision or opening in:

    to open a boil.

17. Law.
    1. to recall or revoke (a judgment, decree, etc.) for the purpose of allowing further contest or delay.
    2. to make the first statement of (a case) to the court or jury.
18. Cards. to begin a hand by making (the first bid), placing (the first bet), or playing (a given card or suit) as the lead.
19. Nautical. to sail (a course) so that the apparent location of a distant fixed object changes with relation to a nearer fixed object (sometimes followed by out ).

verb (used without object)

1. to become open, as a door, building, box, or enclosure.
2. to afford access:

   a door that opens into a garden.

3. to have an opening, passage, or outlet:

   The room opens into a corridor.

4. (of a building, theater, etc.) to open its doors to the public:

   The museum opens at one o'clock.

5. to begin a session or term, as a school.
6. to begin a season, series of performances, or tour, as a theatrical company:

   The play will open in Boston.

7. to begin, start, or commence an activity:

   The game opened with the national anthem.

8. to part, or seem to part, so as to allow or reveal a passage:

   At last the cliffs opened to show us that we were heading for the sea.

9. to become disclosed or revealed.
10. to come into view; become more visible or plain.
11. to become receptive to knowledge, sympathy, etc., as the mind.
12. to disclose or reveal one's knowledge, thoughts, feelings, etc.
13. to unfold or expand, as a blossom, so as to reveal the interior.
14. to spread out or expand, as the hand or a fan.
15. to spread apart or separate, as pages of a book, newspaper, etc.:

    Open to page 32.

16. to spread or come apart; burst:

    The wound opened.

17. to become less compact, less closely spaced, or the like:

    The ranks began to open.

18. Cards. to make the first bet, bid, or lead in beginning a hand.
19. Hunting. (of hounds) to begin to bark, as on the scent of game.

noun

1. an open or clear space.
2. the open air.
3. the open water, as of the sea.
4. an opening or aperture.
5. an opening or opportunity.
6. a contest or tournament in which both amateurs and professionals may compete, especially in golf and tennis.
7. the open,
   1. the unenclosed or unobstructed country.
   2. the outdoors:

      Vacations in the open are fine for the entire family.

   3. the condition of being unconcealed, recognized, or publicly known:

      The scandal is now out in the open.

verb phrase

1. 1. to become or make open.
   2. to expand, especially before the eye:

      A breathtaking panorama opened up as we reached the top of the hill.

   3. to achieve the initial development of:

      to open up a business office; to open up trade with China.

   4. Slang. to increase speed or the speed of (a vehicle).

open

/ ˈəʊpən /

adjective

1. not closed or barred

   the door is open

2. affording free passage, access, view, etc; not blocked or obstructed

   the road is open for traffic

3. not sealed, fastened, or wrapped

   an open package

4. having the interior part accessible

   an open drawer

5. extended, expanded, or unfolded

   an open newspaper

   an open flower

6. ready for business

   the shops are open

7. able to be obtained; available

   the position advertised last week is no longer open

8. unobstructed by buildings, trees, etc

   open countryside

9. free to all to join, enter, use, visit, etc

   an open competition

10. unengaged or unoccupied

    the doctor has an hour open for you to call

11. See open season
12. not decided or finalized

    an open question

13. ready to entertain new ideas; not biased or prejudiced

    an open mind

14. unreserved or candid

    she was very open in her description

15. liberal or generous

    an open hand

16. extended or eager to receive (esp in the phrase with open arms )
17. exposed to view; blatant

    open disregard of the law

18. liable or susceptible

    you will leave yourself open to attack if you speak

19. (of climate or seasons) free from frost; mild
20. free from navigational hazards, such as ice, sunken ships, etc

    open water

21. without legal restrictions or enforceable regulations, esp in relation to gambling, vice, etc

    an open town

22. without barriers to prevent absconding

    an open prison

23. having large or numerous spacing or apertures

    open ranks

24. full of small openings or gaps; porous

    an open texture

25. printing (of type matter) generously leaded or widely spaced
26. music
    1. (of a violin or guitar string) not stopped with the finger
    2. (of a pipe, such as an organ pipe) not closed at either end
    3. (of a note) played on such a string or pipe
27. commerce
    1. in operation; active

       an open account

    2. unrestricted; unlimited

       open credit

       open insurance cover

28. See open cheque
29. (of a return ticket) not specifying a date for travel
30. sport
    1. (of a goal, court, etc) unguarded or relatively unprotected

       the forward missed an open goal

    2. (of a stance, esp in golf) characterized by the front of the body being turned forward
31. (of a wound) exposed to the air
32. (esp of the large intestine) free from obstruction
33. undefended and of no military significance

    an open city

34. phonetics
    1. denoting a vowel pronounced with the lips relatively wide apart
    2. denoting a syllable that does not end in a consonant, as in pa
35. chess (of a file) having no pawns on it
36. maths (of a set) containing points whose neighbourhood consists of other points of the same set

    points inside a circle are an open set

37. computing (of software or a computer system) designed to an internationally agreed standard in order to allow communication between computers, irrespective of size, maufacturer, etc

verb

1. to move or cause to move from a closed or fastened position

   to open a window

2. whenintr, foll by on or onto to render, be, or become accessible or unobstructed

   the door opens into the hall

   to open a road

   to open a parcel

3. intr to come into or appear in view

   the lake opened before us

4. tr to puncture (a boil) so as to permit drainage
5. to extend or unfold or cause to extend or unfold

   to open a newspaper

6. to disclose or uncover or be disclosed or uncovered

   to open one's heart

7. to cause (the mind) to become receptive or (of the mind) to become receptive
8. to operate or cause to operate

   to open a shop

9. whenintr, sometimes foll by out to make or become less compact or dense in structure

   to open ranks

10. to set or be set in action; start

    to open the batting

    to open a discussion

11. tr to arrange for (a bank account, savings account, etc) usually by making an initial deposit
12. to turn to a specified point in (a book, magazine, etc)

    open at page one

13. law to make the opening statement in (a case before a court of law)
14. intr cards to bet, bid, or lead first on a hand

noun

1. the open
   any wide or unobstructed space or expanse, esp of land or water
2. See open air
3. sport a competition which anyone may enter
4. bring into the open
   to make evident or public
5. come into the open
   to become) evident or public

Derived Forms

• ˈopenable, adjective
• ˈopenness, noun
• ˈopenly, adverb

Other Words From

• o·pen·ly adverb
• o·pen·ness noun
• half-o·pened adjective
• pre·o·pen verb (used with object)
• self-o·pened adjective
• sem·i·o·pen adjective
• sem·i·o·pen·ly adverb
• un·o·pened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of open¹

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Saxon opan ( Dutch open ), Old High German offan ( German offen ), Old Norse opinn, akin to up; (verb) Middle English openen, Old English openian; cognate with Old Saxon opanon ( Dutch openen ), Old High German offanōn ( German öffnen )

Word History and Origins

Origin of open¹

Old English; related to Old French open, epen, Old Saxon opan, Old High German offan

Idioms and Phrases

• keep a weather eye (open)
• keep one's eyes open
• lay open
• leave open
• leave the door open
• not open one's mouth
• out in the open
• throw open
• wide open
• with one's eyes open
• with open arms

Synonym Study

See frank ¹.

Example Sentences

‘One Tree Hill’ actor Bevin Prince opens up about the death of her husband, Will Friend, five months after he was struck by lightning.

From Los Angeles Times

And yes, he’s put in time since then on the road as an opening act for more established country stars such as Morgan Wallen and Cole Swindell.

From Los Angeles Times

Tickets are no longer on sale but a waitlist is open.

From Los Angeles Times

A 2023 report by Duke University revealed that data brokers were selling sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market.

From Los Angeles Times

The review made a number of recommendations including advising all departments to produce exception approval forms explaining why it would not be appropriate to run a fair and open recruitment process.

From BBC

Related Words

• commence
• convene
• inaugurate
• initiate
• launch
• meet
• start