Word.ws English Dictionary

open

Syllables: o·pen/ˈəʊ.pən/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Northumbria/ˈɒ.pɪn/

open adjective: able to have something pass through or along it.

open: able to have something pass through or along it
Image: Marek Ślusarczyk ( Tupungato ) Photo portfolio, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective

open (comparative more open or (phonetics) opener, superlative most open or (phonetics) openest)

  1. (not comparable, usually) Able to have something pass through or along it.
    • Come in – the door's open.
    • The ice has cleared and the channel is open again.
  2. (not comparable, usually) Not covered, sealed, etc.; having an opening or aperture showing what is inside.
    • The jewellery box was lying open.
    • Don't just stand there with your mouth open!
  3. (not comparable, usually) Not physically drawn together, folded or contracted.
    • She greeted them with open arms.
    • The book was open at page 23.
  4. (not comparable, usually) Of a space, free of objects and obstructions.
    • It was a large, open room.
    • Most of the site was occupied by huts, but there was an open area in the centre.
  5. (not comparable, usually) Resulting from an incision, puncture or any other process by which the skin no longer protects an internal part of the body.
    • an open fracture
  6. (not comparable, proscribed, sometimes, usually) Unlocked or unlatched but not physically open.
  7. (not comparable, usually, gas and liquid flow) In a position allowing fluid to flow.
  8. (not comparable, usually) Of a sandwich, etc.: composed of a single slice of bread with a topping.
    • open sandwich
    • Starry food is fun to make. You can buy bright yellow American mustard (which isn’t too strong!) in squeezy bottles and pipe stars on to hot dogs and open burgers or sandwiches.2001, Jennie Walters, Caz’s Birthday Blues (Party Girls), London: Hodder Children’s Books, →ISBN
  9. (not comparable, regional, usually) Not of a quality to prevent communication, as by closing waterways, blocking roads, etc.; hence, not frosty or inclement; mild; used of the weather or the climate.
    • an open winter
    • He desires me to tell you that the present open weather induces him to accept Mr Vernon's invitation to prolong his stay in Sussex that they may have some hunting together.c. 1794, Jane Austen, Lady Susan
  10. (not comparable) Available for use or operation.
    • Your bank account is now open.
    • Phone lines open at 10 pm.
  11. (not comparable) Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business.
    • Banks are not open on bank holidays.
  12. (not comparable) Allowing entrance to visitors or the public.
    • I hereby declare this fete open.
    • The school has an open day on Saturday.
Show 20 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (comparable) Receptive.
    • I am open to new ideas.
    • Wherefore if Demetrius […] have a matter against any man, the law is open and there are deputies.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 19:38
  2. (comparable) Susceptible or vulnerable (to the stated means).
    • open to question; open to attack; open to criticism
    • The service that I truly did his life, / Hath left me open to all injuries.c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
  3. (not comparable, usually, document) In current use; connected to as a resource.
    • I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open.
  4. (especially one with a screen-based interface) Running.
    • You're getting short of memory because you have too many apps open.
  5. Not hidden or restricted.
    • The U.S. recognizes Canadian sovereignty over the islands bordering the passage but insists that the passage itself is an international waterway open to ships of all nations.1990 August, John Bockstoce, “Changing Images of the Northwest Passage”, in National Geographic, volume 178, number 2, page 22
    1. Not concealed; overt.
      • It is a blatant example of open criminality.
      • His thefts were too open.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    2. Of a person, not concealing their feelings, opinions, etc.; candid, ingenuous.
      • Nowadays people are more open about their sexuality.
      • with aspect open, shall erect his head1731-1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays
    3. (not comparable) Public.
      • He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of The New York Times.
    4. Written or sent with the intention that it may made public or referred to at any trial, rather than by way of confidential private negotiation for a settlement.
      • You will observe that this is an open letter and we reserve the right to mention it to the judge should the matter come to trial.
    5. (not comparable) With open access, of open science, or both.
      • We hope that all aspects of the project will be open rather than paywalled.
    6. Made public, usable with a free licence and without proprietary components.
      • Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the...2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845
    7. Of a tournament or competition, allowing anyone to enter, especially or originally irrespective of professional or amateur status.
    8. Characterised by free-flowing play.
      • Compared to their last match, which was a dour and defensive affair, this was a very open game.
  6. Not settled; not decided or determined; not withdrawn from consideration.
    • an open question
    • to keep an offer or opportunity open
  7. (sometimes) Not fulfilled or resolved; incomplete.
    • I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me.
  8. Not having one end joined to the other; not forming a closed loop.
    • an open curve, an open circuit
  9. In a position such that a circuit is not completed, preventing electricity from flowing.
  10. Having different first and last vertices.
  11. Ending in a vowel; not having a coda.
    Synonyms:
    free
  12. Having a free variable.
  13. Which is part of a predefined collection of subsets of X, that defines a topological space on X.
  14. (stringed instruments) Of a note, played without pressing the string against the fingerboard.
  15. Of a note, played without closing any finger-hole, key or valve.
  16. Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; said of vowels.
    • "Supposing somebody sees you, with all those flowers too? Supposing somebody writes him a letter? Ooooh!" (a pure round open Tamil O.)1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 421
  17. Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure.
  18. Source code of a computer program that is not within the text of a macro being generated.
  19. Having component words separated by spaces, as opposed to being joined together or hyphenated; for example, time slot as opposed to timeslot or time-slot.
  20. (especially) Of a club, bat or other hitting implement, angled upwards and/or (for a right-hander) clockwise of straight.

Verb

open (third-person singular simple present opens, present participle opening, simple past and past participle opened)

  1. (intransitive, transitive) To make or become accessible or clear for passage by moving from a shut position.
    • Turn the doorknob to open the door.
    • The door opened all by itself.
  2. (intransitive, transitive) To make or become clear by removal of objects and obstructions, so as to allow passage, access, or visibility.
    • The icebreaker opened the channel.
    • The ice melted away and the channel opened.
  3. (intransitive, transitive) To unseal or uncover, or become unsealed or uncovered.
    • You can open your eyes now!
    • Her eyes opened wide.
  4. (intransitive, transitive) To spread; to expand into a wider or looser position.
    • to open a closed fist
    • to open matted cotton by separating the fibres
  5. (transitive, nursing) To make (a bed) ready for a patient by folding back the bedcovers.
    • Follow agency policy, or open the bed by folding the top linens back.2013, Susan C. deWit, Patricia A. Williams, Fundamental Concepts and Skills for Nursing, page 318
  6. (intransitive, transitive) To reveal one's hand.
    • Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush.
  7. (intransitive, transitive, gas and liquid flow) To move to a position allowing fluid to flow.
  8. (especially, intransitive, transitive) To angle (a club, bat or other hitting implement) upwards and/or (for a right-hander) clockwise of straight.
  9. (intransitive, transitive) To cause or allow a gap to form or widen.
    • Mudchester Rovers opened a sizeable lead on their rivals.
    • A link opened under the strain, and the chain came apart.
    1. (intransitive, transitive, fuse or circuit breaker) To move to a position preventing electricity from flowing.
  10. (intransitive, transitive) To make or become operative or available.
    • He opened a secret bank account in Switzerland.
    • We're opening the phone lines in ten minutes.
  11. (intransitive, transitive) To make or become accessible to customers, clients or visitors.
    • I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow.
    • The summer fete was opened by the mayor.
  12. (intransitive, transitive) To make or become receptive or susceptible (to something).
    • Reading this book will open you to new ideas.
    • This policy will open the government to criticism.
Show 12 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (intransitive, transitive) To connect to a resource (a file, document, etc.) for viewing or editing.
    • I can't open the file because someone else is editing it.
  2. (Manglish, Quebec) To turn on; to switch on.
    • Please open the lights, the (electric) fan, the TV.
  3. (intransitive, transitive) To start (an event or activity) as the first performer or actor.
    • The show was opened by a terrible Elvis impersonator.
    • Our band opened, and they came on second.
  4. (intransitive) To precede another as a performer at a concert or show.
    • Our band opened for Nirvana.
  5. (intransitive) Of an event, activity etc., to start or get underway.
    • The meeting opened with a statement from the chairman.
  6. (transitive) To bring up, broach.
    • I don't want to open that subject.
    Synonyms:
    raise
  7. (transitive) To enter upon, begin.
    • to open a discussion
    • to open fire upon an enemy
    Synonyms:
    start
  8. (intransitive, transitive) To start running (a program or application, especially one with a screen-based interface).
    • Click this icon to open Microsoft Word.
  9. (intransitive) To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen.
  10. (intransitive) To bet before any other player has in a particular betting round in a game of poker.
    • After the first two players fold, Julie opens for $5.
  11. (transitive) To make an open relationship or marriage, i.e., with possible additional relationships.
    • He assured me, unequivocally, that he was, and that he rather enjoyed the side benefits of my trysts: I was happier and living more honestly, as well as off his back about many of the issues that had been troublesome for me before we opened our relationship.2009, Jenny Block, “You Can’t Run Out of Love”, in Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage, 2nd edition, Berkeley, Calif.: Seal Press, →ISBN, page 172
    • I wouldn’t do it unless there is a reason for it, I wouldn’t open a marriage just for fun. I think it’s too dangerous. I know I’m a monogamous type of person—I like just one person at a time; actually sleeping with more than one person in separate relationships is too confusing.2018, Rhea Orion, quoting Annika, “Case Excerpt: Annika”, in A Therapist’s Guide to Consensual Nonmonogamy: Polyamory, Swinging, and Open Marriage, New York, N.Y.; Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge...
  12. (obsolete) To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain.
    • The king opened himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death.1622, Francis Bacon, The History of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh
    • Unto thee have I opened my cause.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 20:12
    Synonyms:
    bare

Noun

open (plural opens)

  1. Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location.
    • I can't believe you left the lawnmower out in the open when you knew it was going to rain this afternoon!
    • Wary of hunters, the fleeing deer kept well out of the open, dodging instead from thicket to thicket.
  2. Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view.
    • We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open.
  3. A defect in an electrical circuit preventing current from flowing.
    • The electrician found the open in the circuit after a few minutes of testing.
  4. A sports event in which anybody can compete, especially or originally irrespective of amateur or professional status.
    • the Australian Open
  5. The act of something being opened, such as an e-mail message.
    • The total number of opens from original, or unique, subscribers.2016, Ian Dodson, The Art of Digital Marketing, page 144

open meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

open in Hindi

not closed
खुला khulā
to make something accessible
खोलना kholnā
to become open
खुलना khulnā

open in Tamil

not closed
திறந்த tiṟanta
extended, exposed <-- possibly applies to sense now worded as "Not physically drawn together, folded or contracted". -->
திறந்த tiṟanta
prepared to conduct business
திறந்த tiṟanta, திறந்திருக்கும் tiṟantirukkum
receptive
ஏற்க ēṟka, ஏற்றுக்கொள் ēṟṟukkoḷ

open in Marathi

not closed
उघडे ughḍe
prepared to conduct business
उघडे ughḍe
computing: in current use
उघडे ughḍe
to make something accessible
उघडणे ughaḍṇe

open in Urdu

not closed
کھلا khulā, باز bāz, واز vāz, وا vā
to make something accessible
کھولنا kholnā, باز کرنا bāz karnā, واز کرنا vāz karnā, وا کرنا vā karnā
to become open
کھلنا khulnā, باز ہونا bāz honā, واز ہونا vāz honā, وا ہونا vā honā
More languagesFewer languages
open in Bengali
খোলা khōla
open in Telugu
తెరిచిన tericina, తెరచు teracu, తెరుచు terucu
open in Malayalam
തുറന്ന tuṟanna
open in Kannada
ತೆಗೆ, ಕಿಸಿ, ತೆರೆ, ಬಿಚ್ಚು
open in Punjabi
ਖੁਲ੍ਹਣਾ khulhṇā, اگھیڑنا ugheṛnā, ਉਘੇੜਨਾ ugheṛnā, ਉੱਘੜਨਾ ugghaṛnā
open in Gujarati
ખુલ્લું khullũ, ખોલવું kholvũ, ઉઘાડવું ughāṛvũ
open in Odia
ଖୋଲିବା kholibā
open in Sanskrit
उद्घाटयति udghāṭayati
open in Sinhala
අරිනවා arinawā
open in Assamese
খোলা khüla, খুল khul
open in Nepali
खुल्ला khullā, खोल्नु kholnu
open in Tagalog
bukas, buksan, umpisahan
open in Arabic
مَفْتُوح maftūḥ, مفتوح maftūḥ, محلول maḥlūl, فَتَحَ fataḥa
open in Malay
dibuka, buka, membuka
open in Indonesian
buka, membuka
open in Persian
باز bâz, گشودن gošudan, باز کردن bâz kardan, باز شُدَن bâz šodan
open in Thai
เปิด bpə̀ət, อ้า âa, สาธารณะ sǎa-taa-rá-ná
open in Vietnamese
mở
open in Myanmar
ဖွင့် hpwang.

Examples of open in a sentence

  • Along the street ran an open sewer.
  • an open hand; an open flower; an open (loosely woven) fabric
  • Soon we left the forest behind and we were out in open country.
  • This is the only option open to us.
  • He opened a path through the undergrowth.
  • After we left the forest, the country opened into a wide, flat plain.

All 40 example sentences with open

Synonyms of open

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of open

Forms of open

Adjective
comparativemore open
comparativeopener
superlativemost open
superlativeopenest
Verb
third-person singular presentopens
present participleopening
past participleopened
pastopened
second-person singular present (archaic)openest
second-person singular past (archaic)openedst
third-person singular present (archaic)openeth
Noun
pluralopens

Past tense of open: opened

Plural of open: opens

Origin of open

Adjective from Middle English open, from Old English open (“open”), from Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz (“open”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo (“up from under, over”). Cognates * Scots apen (“open”) * Saterland Frisian eepen (“open”) * West Frisian iepen (“open”) * Cimbrian offe (“open”) * Dutch open (“open”) * German offen (“open”) * Vilamovian ufa, uffa (“open”) * Yiddish אָפֿן (ofn, “open”) * Danish åben (“open”) * Icelandic opinn (“open”) * Norwegian Bokmål åpen (“open”) * Norwegian Nynorsk open (“open”) * Swedish öppen (“open”) Compare also Latin supinus (“on one's back, supine”), Albanian hap (“to open”). Related to up. Verb from Middle English openen, from Old English openian (“to open”), from Proto-West Germanic *opanōn, from Proto-Germanic *upanōną (“to raise; lift; open”), from Proto-Germanic *upanaz (“open”, adjective). Cognate with Saterland Frisian eepenje (“to open”), West Frisian iepenje (“to open”), Dutch openen (“to open”), German öffnen (“to open”), Danish åbne (“to open”), Swedish öppna (“to open”), Norwegian Bokmål åpne (“to open”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Icelandic opna (“to open”). Related to English up. Noun from Middle English open...

Words formed from open

Phrases with open

167 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with open

Questions about open

What does open mean?
Open means able to have something pass through or along it.
What is open in Hindi?
Open in Hindi is खुला (khulā), खोलना (kholnā), खुलना (khulnā). See Open meaning in Hindi.
How do you use open in a sentence?
Along the street ran an open sewer.
What part of speech is open?
Open can be an adjective, a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce open?
Open is pronounced /ˈəʊ.pən/ (UK).

Words near open in the dictionary

  1. Opelika
  2. Opelka
  3. Opelkas
  4. Opelousa
  5. Opelousas
  6. open
  7. open a can of whoop ass
  8. open a can of whoop-ass
  9. open a can of whup ass
  10. open access
  11. open admission

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: open (page history and authors); open (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); اگھیڑنا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); ઉઘાડવું (Gujarati) (page history and authors); ଖୋଲିବା (Odia) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-uk-to open.ogg, en-us-open.ogg, en-au-open.ogg.

Cite this entry: “open.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/open. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.