View synonyms for open

open

[ oh-puhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

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.
(of a door, gate, window sash, or the like) set so as to permit passage through the opening it can be used to close.
having no means of closing or barring:
an open portico.
having the interior immediately accessible, as a box with the lid raised or a drawer that is pulled out.
relatively free of obstructions to sight, movement, or internal arrangement:
an open floor plan.
constructed so as to be without cover or enclosure on the top or on some or all sides:
an open boat.
having relatively large or numerous spaces, voids, or intervals:
an open architectural screen; open ranks of soldiers.
perforated or porous:
an open texture.
relatively unoccupied by buildings, fences, trees, etc.:
open country.
not covered or closed; with certain parts apart:
open eyes; open mouth.
without a covering, especially a protective covering; unprotected; unenclosed; exposed:
an open wound; open electrical wires.
extended or unfolded:
an open newspaper.
without restrictions as to who may participate:
an open competition; an open session.
accessible or available to follow:
the only course still open to us.
not taken or filled; not preempted; available; vacant:
Which job is open?
ready for or carrying on normal trade or business:
The new store is now open. The office is open on Saturdays.
not engaged or committed:
Have you any open time on Monday?
accessible, as to appeals, ideas, or offers:
to be open to suggestion.
exposed to general view or knowledge; existing, carried on, etc., without concealment:
open disregard of the rules.
acting publicly or without concealment, as a person.
unreserved, candid, or frank, as persons or their speech, aspect, etc.:
an open manner.
generous, liberal, or bounteous:
to give with an open hand.
liable or subject:
open to question; open to retaliation.
undecided; unsettled:
several open questions.
without effective or enforced legal, commercial, or moral regulations:
an open town.
unguarded by an opponent:
an open wide receiver.
noting the part of the sea beyond headlands or enclosing areas of land:
to sail on the open seas.
free of ice, as a body of water or a seaport.
free of navigational hazards:
an open coast.
(of a seaport) available for foreign trade; not closed by government regulations or by considerations of health.
(of a microphone) in operation; live.
(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.
not yet balanced or adjusted, as an account.
not constipated, as the bowels.
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 ).
Linguistics. (of a class of items) readily admitting new members, as the class of nouns, verbs, or adjectives ( closed ).
Printing.
1. (of type) in outline form.
2. widely spaced or leaded, as printed matter.
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.
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.
free from frost; mild or moderate:
an open winter.
Animal Husbandry. (of a female animal) not pregnant.
Textiles. (of a fabric or weave) so loosely woven that spaces are visible between warp and filling yarns.

verb (used with object)

to move (a door, window sash, etc.) from a shut or closed position so as to admit of passage.
to render (a doorway, gateway, window, etc.) unobstructed by moving a door, window sash, etc., away from it.
to render the interior of (a box, drawer, etc.) readily accessible.
to clear (a passage, channel, etc.) of obstructions.
to clear (areas or passages in the body).
to give access to; make accessible or available, as for use:
to open a port for trade.
to establish for business purposes or for public use:
to open an office.
to set in action, begin, start, or commence (sometimes followed by up ):
to open a campaign.
to uncover, lay bare, or expose to view.
to expand, unfold, or spread out:
to open a map.
to make less compact, less closely spaced, or the like:
to open ranks.
to disclose, reveal, or divulge.
to render accessible to knowledge, enlightenment, sympathy, etc.:
to open one's mind.
to cut, blast, or break into:
to open a safe with nitro.
to make or produce (an opening) by cutting or breaking, or by pushing aside or removing obstructions:
to open a way through a crowd.
to make an incision or opening in:
to open a boil.
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.
Cards. to begin a hand by making (the first bid), placing (the first bet), or playing (a given card or suit) as the lead.
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)

to become open, as a door, building, box, or enclosure.
to afford access:
a door that opens into a garden.
to have an opening, passage, or outlet:
The room opens into a corridor.
(of a building, theater, etc.) to open its doors to the public:
The museum opens at one o'clock.
to begin a session or term, as a school.
to begin a season, series of performances, or tour, as a theatrical company:
The play will open in Boston.
to begin, start, or commence an activity:
The game opened with the national anthem.
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.
to become disclosed or revealed.
to come into view; become more visible or plain.
to become receptive to knowledge, sympathy, etc., as the mind.
to disclose or reveal one's knowledge, thoughts, feelings, etc.
to unfold or expand, as a blossom, so as to reveal the interior.
to spread out or expand, as the hand or a fan.
to spread apart or separate, as pages of a book, newspaper, etc.:
Open to page 32.
to spread or come apart; burst:
The wound opened.
to become less compact, less closely spaced, or the like:
The ranks began to open.
Cards. to make the first bet, bid, or lead in beginning a hand.
Hunting. (of hounds) to begin to bark, as on the scent of game.

noun

an open or clear space.
the open air.
the open water, as of the sea.
an opening or aperture.
an opening or opportunity.
a contest or tournament in which both amateurs and professionals may compete, especially in golf and tennis.
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. 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

not closed or barred
the door is open
affording free passage, access, view, etc; not blocked or obstructed
the road is open for traffic
not sealed, fastened, or wrapped
an open package
having the interior part accessible
an open drawer
extended, expanded, or unfolded
an open newspaper
an open flower
ready for business
the shops are open
able to be obtained; available
the position advertised last week is no longer open
unobstructed by buildings, trees, etc
open countryside
free to all to join, enter, use, visit, etc
an open competition
unengaged or unoccupied
the doctor has an hour open for you to call
See open season
not decided or finalized
an open question
ready to entertain new ideas; not biased or prejudiced
an open mind
unreserved or candid
she was very open in her description
liberal or generous
an open hand
extended or eager to receive (esp in the phrase with open arms )
exposed to view; blatant
open disregard of the law
liable or susceptible
you will leave yourself open to attack if you speak
(of climate or seasons) free from frost; mild
free from navigational hazards, such as ice, sunken ships, etc
open water
without legal restrictions or enforceable regulations, esp in relation to gambling, vice, etc
an open town
without barriers to prevent absconding
an open prison
having large or numerous spacing or apertures
open ranks
full of small openings or gaps; porous
an open texture
printing (of type matter) generously leaded or widely spaced
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
commerce
1. in operation; active
  an open account
2. unrestricted; unlimited
  open credit
  open insurance cover
See open cheque
(of a return ticket) not specifying a date for travel
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
(of a wound) exposed to the air
(esp of the large intestine) free from obstruction
undefended and of no military significance
an open city
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
chess (of a file) having no pawns on it
maths (of a set) containing points whose neighbourhood consists of other points of the same set
points inside a circle are an open set
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

to move or cause to move from a closed or fastened position
to open a window
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
intr to come into or appear in view
the lake opened before us
tr to puncture (a boil) so as to permit drainage
to extend or unfold or cause to extend or unfold
to open a newspaper
to disclose or uncover or be disclosed or uncovered
to open one's heart
to cause (the mind) to become receptive or (of the mind) to become receptive
to operate or cause to operate
to open a shop
whenintr, sometimes foll by out to make or become less compact or dense in structure
to open ranks
to set or be set in action; start
to open the batting
to open a discussion
tr to arrange for (a bank account, savings account, etc) usually by making an initial deposit
to turn to a specified point in (a book, magazine, etc)
open at page one
law to make the opening statement in (a case before a court of law)
intr cards to bet, bid, or lead first on a hand

noun

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

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Derived Forms

ˈopenable, adjective
ˈopenness, noun
ˈopenly, adverb

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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

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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 )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of open¹

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

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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

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Synonym Study

See frank ¹.

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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