ope

American  

[ohp] / oʊp /

adjective

Literary.

oped, oping

1. open.

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ope British  

/ əʊp /

verb

1. an archaic or poetic word for open

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Usage

What does ope mean?  In casual usage, ope is an interjection used to express surprise or to alert someone, as in Ope, didn’t mean to bump into you!The word ope is considered a Midwestern slang term that’s closely related to oops or whoops. Spill some coffee on your shirt? Ope! You’re going to have to change shirts. Drop something while you’re cooking? Ope! Can’t eat that. Bump into someone on the subway? Ope! My bad! Even though ope is known as Midwestern slang, usage has spread to other parts of the country as well. Ope is also an archaic word meaning “open” and was especially used in poetry and other literature. For example, it appears in William Shakespeare’s play The Life and Death of King John. In Act II, a citizen says to King John, “The mouth of passage shall we fling wide ope, / And give you entrance.” Today, this use of ope is rare. Example: Ope, let me scooch right by ya real quick!

Example Sentences

The ope has officially declared a new enemy.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2013

But some traditional Catholics said they were trying to go with the flow and trust the Holy Spirit that they believe guided the cardinals’ selection of the new ope.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2013

His lips did ope, but no sound came.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

And now th' art set wide ope; the speare's sad art, Lo, hath unlockt Thee at the very heart.

From The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume II (of 2) by Crashaw, Richard

Through the chinks they see the ocean, They are afraid of death, Dare not ope, knock at the portal, With bated breath.

From Contemporary Belgian Poetry Selected and Translated by Jethro Bithell by Various