What does "open" mean?
Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location.
Open
/ˈəʊ.pən/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location.
- Grammar: open is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abandoned, above-board, aboveboard, abroach.
- Useful contrasts: arcane, checked, closed.
- Usage evidence: Don't open before the train stops.
How to use "open"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "open" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "open" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "open" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "open" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "open" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abandoned" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "open", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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!"
- 2 information that has become public wordnet
- 3 Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view.
"We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open."
- 4 a tournament in which both professionals and amateurs may play wordnet
- 5 A defect in an electrical circuit preventing current from flowing.
"The electrician found the open in the circuit after a few minutes of testing."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 where the air is unconfined wordnet
- 7 A sports event in which anybody can compete, especially or originally irrespective of amateur or professional status.
"the Australian Open"
- 8 a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water wordnet
- 9 The act of something being opened, such as an e-mail message.
"The total number of opens from original, or unique, subscribers."
Verb
- 1 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To make or become accessible or clear for passage by moving from a shut position. intransitive, transitive
"Turn the doorknob to open the door."
- 2 make available wordnet
- 3 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To make or become clear by removal of objects and obstructions, so as to allow passage, access, or visibility. intransitive, transitive
"The icebreaker opened the channel."
- 4 become available wordnet
- 5 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To unseal or uncover, or become unsealed or uncovered. intransitive, transitive
"You can open your eyes now!"
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- 6 make the opening move wordnet
- 7 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To spread; to expand into a wider or looser position. intransitive, transitive
"to open a closed fist"
- 8 cause to open or to become open wordnet
- 9 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To make (a bed) ready for a patient by folding back the bedcovers. transitive
"Follow agency policy, or open the bed by folding the top linens back."
- 10 become open wordnet
- 11 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To reveal one's hand. intransitive, transitive
"Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush."
- 12 spread out or open from a closed or folded state wordnet
- 13 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To move to a position allowing fluid to flow. intransitive, transitive
- 14 display the contents of a file or start an application as on a computer wordnet
- 15 To make or become physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; To angle (a club, bat or other hitting implement) upwards and/or (for a right-hander) clockwise of straight. especially, intransitive, transitive
- 16 begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc. wordnet
- 17 To cause or allow a gap to form or widen. intransitive, transitive
"Mudchester Rovers opened a sizeable lead on their rivals."
- 18 start to operate or function or cause to start operating or functioning wordnet
- 19 To cause or allow a gap to form or widen.; To move to a position preventing electricity from flowing. intransitive, transitive
- 20 have an opening or passage or outlet wordnet
- 21 To make or become available for use or interaction.; To make or become operative or available. intransitive, transitive
"He opened a secret bank account in Switzerland."
- 22 To make or become available for use or interaction.; To make or become accessible to customers, clients or visitors. intransitive, transitive
"I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow."
- 23 To make or become available for use or interaction.; To make or become receptive or susceptible (to something). intransitive, transitive
"Reading this book will open you to new ideas."
- 24 To make or become available for use or interaction.; To connect to a resource (a file, document, etc.) for viewing or editing. intransitive, transitive
"I can't open the file because someone else is editing it."
- 25 To make or become available for use or interaction.; To turn on; to switch on. Manglish, Quebec
"Please open the lights, the (electric) fan, the TV."
- 26 To start or begin.; To start (an event or activity) as the first performer or actor. intransitive, transitive
"The show was opened by a terrible Elvis impersonator."
- 27 To start or begin.; To precede another as a performer at a concert or show. intransitive
"Our band opened for Nirvana."
- 28 To start or begin.; Of an event, activity etc., to start or get underway. intransitive
"The meeting opened with a statement from the chairman."
- 29 To start or begin.; To bring up, broach. transitive
"I don't want to open that subject."
- 30 To start or begin.; To enter upon, begin. transitive
"to open a discussion"
- 31 To start or begin.; To start running (a program or application, especially one with a screen-based interface). intransitive, transitive
"Click this icon to open Microsoft Word."
- 32 To start or begin.; To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen. intransitive
- 33 To start or begin.; To bet before any other player has in a particular betting round in a game of poker. intransitive
"After the first two players fold, Julie opens for $5."
- 34 To make an open relationship or marriage, i.e., with possible additional relationships. transitive
"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."
- 35 To disclose; to reveal; to interpret; to explain. obsolete
"The king opened himself to some of his council, that he was sorry for the earl's death."
Adjective
- 1 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; Able to have something pass through or along it. not-comparable, usually
"Come in – the door's open."
- 2 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; Not covered, sealed, etc.; having an opening or aperture showing what is inside. not-comparable, usually
"The jewellery box was lying open."
- 3 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; Not physically drawn together, folded or contracted. not-comparable, usually
"She greeted them with open arms."
- 4 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; Of a space, free of objects and obstructions. not-comparable, usually
"It was a large, open room."
- 5 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; Resulting from an incision, puncture or any other process by which the skin no longer protects an internal part of the body. not-comparable, usually
"an open fracture"
Show 34 more definitions
- 6 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; Unlocked or unlatched but not physically open. not-comparable, proscribed, sometimes, usually
- 7 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; In a position allowing fluid to flow. not-comparable, usually
- 8 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; Of a sandwich, etc.: composed of a single slice of bread with a topping. not-comparable, usually
"open sandwich"
- 9 Physically unobstructed, uncovered, etc.; 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. not-comparable, regional, usually
"an open winter"
- 10 Able to be used or interacted with in some way.; Available for use or operation. not-comparable
"Your bank account is now open."
- 11 Able to be used or interacted with in some way.; Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business. not-comparable
"Banks are not open on bank holidays."
- 12 Able to be used or interacted with in some way.; Allowing entrance to visitors or the public. not-comparable
"I hereby declare this fete open."
- 13 Able to be used or interacted with in some way.; Receptive. comparable
"I am open to new ideas."
- 14 Able to be used or interacted with in some way.; Susceptible or vulnerable (to the stated means). comparable
"open to question; open to attack; open to criticism"
- 15 Able to be used or interacted with in some way.; In current use; connected to as a resource. not-comparable, usually
"I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open."
- 16 Able to be used or interacted with in some way.; Running.
"You're getting short of memory because you have too many apps open."
- 17 Not hidden or restricted.; Not concealed; overt.
"It is a blatant example of open criminality."
- 18 Not hidden or restricted.; Of a person, not concealing their feelings, opinions, etc.; candid, ingenuous.
"Nowadays people are more open about their sexuality."
- 19 Not hidden or restricted.; Public. not-comparable
"He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of The New York Times."
- 20 Not hidden or restricted.; 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 Not hidden or restricted.; With open access, of open science, or both. not-comparable
"We hope that all aspects of the project will be open rather than paywalled."
- 22 Not hidden or restricted.; 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 possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete."
- 23 Not hidden or restricted.; Of a tournament or competition, allowing anyone to enter, especially or originally irrespective of professional or amateur status.
- 24 Not hidden or restricted.; Characterised by free-flowing play.
"Compared to their last match, which was a dour and defensive affair, this was a very open game."
- 25 Not completed or finalised.; Not settled; not decided or determined; not withdrawn from consideration.
"an open question"
- 26 Not completed or finalised.; Not fulfilled or resolved; incomplete. sometimes
"I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me."
- 27 Not completed or finalised.; Not having one end joined to the other; not forming a closed loop.
"an open curve, an open circuit"
- 28 Not completed or finalised.; In a position such that a circuit is not completed, preventing electricity from flowing.
- 29 Not completed or finalised.; Having different first and last vertices.
- 30 Not completed or finalised.; Ending in a vowel; not having a coda.
- 31 Having a free variable.
- 32 Which is part of a predefined collection of subsets of X, that defines a topological space on X.
- 33 Of a note, played without pressing the string against the fingerboard.
- 34 Of a note, played without closing any finger-hole, key or valve.
- 35 Uttered with a relatively wide opening of the articulating organs; said of vowels. sometimes
""Supposing somebody sees you, with all those flowers too? Supposing somebody writes him a letter? Ooooh!" (a pure round open Tamil O.)"
- 36 Uttered, as a consonant, with the oral passage simply narrowed without closure.
- 37 Source code of a computer program that is not within the text of a macro being generated.
- 38 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.
- 39 Of a club, bat or other hitting implement, angled upwards and/or (for a right-hander) clockwise of straight. especially
Adjective
- 1 ready for business wordnet
- 2 not having been filled wordnet
- 3 openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness wordnet
- 4 without undue constriction as from e.g. tenseness or inhibition wordnet
- 5 affording free passage or view wordnet
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed wordnet
- 7 affording free passage or access wordnet
- 8 used of mouth or eyes wordnet
- 9 having no protecting cover or enclosure wordnet
- 10 (set theory) of an interval that contains neither of its endpoints wordnet
- 11 open and observable; not secret or hidden wordnet
- 12 open to or in view of all wordnet
- 13 with no protection or shield wordnet
- 14 ready or willing to receive favorably wordnet
- 15 accessible to all wordnet
- 16 not sealed or having been unsealed wordnet
- 17 not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought wordnet
- 18 (of textures) full of small openings or gaps wordnet
- 19 possibly accepting or permitting wordnet
- 20 not requiring union membership wordnet
- 21 not defended or capable of being defended wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Don't open before the train stops."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "open"?
Common synonyms include: abandoned, above-board, aboveboard, abroach, absolute, accented.
How do you use "open" in a sentence?
Don't open before the train stops.
How do you pronounce "open"?
Pronounced /ˈəʊ.pən/.
Etymology
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 (“an aperture or opening”), from the verb. In the sports sense, however, a shortening of “open competition”.