English
open
Pronunciation
  • (RP) enPR: ō'pən, IPA: /ˈəʊp(ə)n/
  • (America) enPR: ō'pən, IPA: /ˈoʊp(ə)n/
Etymology 1

From Middle English open, from Old English open, from Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz, from Proto-Indo-European *upo.

  • Scots apen
  • Saterland Frisian eepen
  • Western Frisian iepen
  • Dutch open
  • Low German open, apen ("open")
  • German offen
  • Danish åben
  • Swedish öppen
  • Norwegian Bokmål åpen
  • Norwegian Nynorsk open
  • Icelandic opinn
Adjective

open

  1. (usually, not comparable) Not closed.
    1. Able to be accessed (physically).
    2. Able to have something pass through or along it.
      Turn left after the second open door.
      • 1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, →OCLC ↗:
        The open road, the dusty highway […]
    3. (of a body part) Not covered; showing what is inside.
      It was as if his body had gone to sleep standing up and with his eyes open.
    4. (of a sandwich, etc.) Composed of a single slice of bread with a topping.
      Synonyms: open-face, open-faced
      open sandwich
  2. Not physically drawn together, closed, folded or contracted; extended.
    an open hand; an open flower
    • 1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:
      Each, with open arms, embraced her chosen knight.
  3. (not comparable) Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business.
    Banks are not open on bank holidays.
  4. (comparable) Receptive.
    I am open to new ideas.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Acts 19:38 ↗:
      Wherefore if Demetrius […] have a matter against any man, the law is open and there are deputies.
    • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene ii]:
      The service that I truly did his life, / Hath left me open to all injuries.
    • 2005, Pamela J. Carter, Susan Lewsen, Lippincott's Textbook for Nursing Assistants, page 277:
      When the top sheet, blanket, and bedspread of a closed bed are turned back, or fanfolded, the closed bed becomes an open bed, or a bed ready to receive a patient or resident.
  5. (not comparable) Public
    He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of The New York Times.
    • 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] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene iii]:
      His thefts were too open.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗:
      That I may find him, and with secret gaze / Or open admiration him behold.
  6. (not comparable) With open access, of open science, or both.
    hopes for all aspects of the project being open rather than paywalled
  7. (not comparable) Candid, ingenuous, not subtle in character.
    The man is an open book.
    • 1731-1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays
      with aspect open, shall erect his head
    • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene iii]:
      The Moor is of a free and open nature.
    • 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:
      The French are always open, familiar, and talkative.
  8. (now, regional) Mild (of the weather); free from frost or snow.
    • c. 1794, Jane Austen, Lady Susan:
      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.
  9. (mathematics, logic, of a formula) Having a free variable.
  10. (mathematics, topology, of a set) Which is part of a predefined collection of subsets of X, that defines a topological space on X.
  11. (graph theory, of a walk) Whose first and last vertices are different.
  12. (computing, not comparable, of a file, document, etc.) In current use; connected to as a resource.
    I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open.
  13. (engineering, gas and liquid flow, of valve or damper) To be in a position allowing fluid to flow.
  14. (electricity, of a switch or circuit breaker) To be in a position preventing electricity from flowing.
  15. (sometimes, business) Not fulfilled or resolved; incomplete.
    I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me.
  16. Not settled or adjusted; not decided or determined; not closed or withdrawn from consideration.
    an open question
    to keep an offer or opportunity open
    Your account will remain open until we receive final settlement.
  17. (music, stringed instruments) Of a note, played without pressing the string against the fingerboard.
  18. (wind instruments) Of a note, played without closing any finger-hole, key or valve.
  19. 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
  20. (law, of correspondence) 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.
  21. (phonetics) Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; said of vowels.
  22. (phonetics) Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure.
  23. (phonetics, of a syllable) That ends in a vowel; not having a coda.
  24. (computing, education) Made public, usable with a free licence and without proprietary components.
  25. (medicine) Resulting from an incision, puncture or any other process by which the skin no longer protects an internal part of the body.
  26. (computing, used before "code") Source code of a computer program that is not within the text of a macro being generated.
  27. (of a multi-word compound) 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.
Synonyms Antonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Etymology 2

From Middle English openen, from Old English openian, from Proto-West Germanic *opanōn, from Proto-Germanic *upanōną, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian eepenje, Western Frisian iepenje, Dutch openen, German öffnen, Danish åbne, Swedish öppna, Norwegian Bokmål åpne, Norwegian Nynorsk - and Icelandic opna. Related to English up.

Verb

open (opens, present participle opening; simple past and past participle opened)

  1. (transitive) To make something accessible or allow for passage by moving from a shut position.
    Turn the doorknob to open the door.
    • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC ↗:
      I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:
      ‘No. I only opened the door a foot and put my head in. The street lamps shine into that room. I could see him. He was all right. Sleeping like a great grampus. Poor, poor chap.’
  2. (transitive) To make (an open space, etc.) by clearing away an obstacle or obstacles, in order to allow for passage, access, or visibility.
    He opened a path through the undergrowth.
  3. (transitive, intransitive, engineering, gas and liquid flow, of valve or damper) To move to a position allowing fluid to flow.
  4. (transitive, intransitive, electricity, of a switch, fuse or circuit breaker) To move to a position preventing electricity from flowing.
  5. (Manglish, Philippines, Quebec) To turn on; to switch on.
    Please open the lights, the (electric) fan, the TV.
  6. (transitive) To bring up, broach.
    I don't want to open that subject.
  7. (transitive) To enter upon, begin.
    to open a discussion
    to open fire upon an enemy
    to open trade, or correspondence
    to open a case in court, or a meeting
  8. (transitive) To spread; to expand into an open or loose position.
    to open a closed fist
    to open matted cotton by separating the fibres
    to open a map, book, or scroll
  9. (transitive) To make accessible to customers or clients.
    I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow.
  10. (transitive) To start (a campaign).
    Vermont will open elk hunting season next week.
  11. (intransitive) To become open.
    The door opened all by itself.
    • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC ↗:
      I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.
  12. (intransitive) To begin conducting business.
    The shop opens at 9:00.
  13. (intransitive) To perform before others at a concert or show.
    Our band opened for Nirvana.
  14. (intransitive, cricket) To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen.
  15. (intransitive, poker) 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.
  16. (transitive, intransitive, poker) To reveal one's hand.
    Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush.
  17. (computing, transitive, intransitive) To connect to a resource (a file, document, etc.) for viewing or editing.
  18. (transitive, nursing) To make (a bed) ready for a patient by folding back the bedcovers.
    • 2013, Susan C. deWit, Patricia A. Williams, Fundamental Concepts and Skills for Nursing, page 318:
      Follow agency policy, or open the bed by folding the top linens back.
  19. (obsolete) To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain.
    • 1622, Francis Bacon, The History of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh:
      The king opened himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Jeremiah 20:12 ↗:
      Unto thee have I opened my cause.
Conjugation
Conjugation of open

infinitive (to) open
present tense past tense
1st-person singular open opened
2nd-person singular

 open, openest†

 opened, openedst†
3rd-person singular

 opens, openeth†

 opened
plural

 open

subjunctive

 open

opened
imperative

 open

—
participles

 opening

 opened

†Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms Antonyms
  • (antonym(s) of “to make accessible”): bare, shut
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Etymology 3

From Middle English open, from the verb (see Etymology 2 above).

Noun

open (plural opens)

  1. (in the definite) 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. (in the definite) Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view.
    We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open.
  3. (electronics) 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.
    the Australian Open
  5. The act of something being opened, such as an e-mail message.
    • 2016, Ian Dodson, The Art of Digital Marketing, page 144:
      The total number of opens from original, or unique, subscribers.
Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • French: omnium sportif
  • Portuguese: aberto
  • Spanish: open


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