Definitions for openˈoʊ pən

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

o•pen^*ˈoʊ pən(adj.)

not closed or barred at the time, as a doorway or passageway by a door.
(of a door, window sash, or the like) set so as to permit passage through the opening it can be used to close.
having the interior immediately accessible, as a box with the lid raised.
relatively free of obstructions.
constructed so as not to be fully enclosed:
an open boat.
having relatively large or numerous spaces, voids, or intervals:
open ranks of soldiers.
relatively unoccupied by buildings, trees, etc.:
open country.
not covered or closed; with certain parts apart:
open eyes.
without a covering, esp. a protective covering; exposed:
an open wound.
extended or unfolded:
an open newspaper.
without restrictions as to who may participate:
an open session.
accessible or available:
Which job is open?
ready for or carrying on normal trade or business:
The new store is now open.
Category: Common Vocabulary
not engaged or committed:
open time.
exposed to general view or knowledge:
open disregard of the rules.
unreserved, candid, or frank, as a person or speech.
generous, liberal, or bounteous:
to give with an open hand.
liable or subject:
open to question.
undecided; unsettled:
several open questions.
without effective or enforced legal, commercial, or moral regulations:
an open town.
unguarded by an opponent:
An open receiver caught the pass.
noting the part of the sea beyond headlands or enclosing areas of land.
free of navigational hazards:
an open coast.
not yet balanced or adjusted, as an account.
(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; low. (of a syllable) ending with a vowel.
Category: Phonetics
Ref: Compare close (def. 50). 58; Compare closed (def. 6). 6
(of a compound word) written with the constituent words separated by a space, as
police officer.
Category: Grammar
Music. (of a string) not stopped by a finger.
Category: Music and Dance
Math. (of a set) consisting of points having neighborhoods wholly contained in the set, as the set of points within a circle.
Category: Math
(of a fabric or weave) so loosely constructed that spaces are visible between warp and filling yarns.
Category: Textiles
(v.t.)to move (a door, window sash, etc.) from a shut or closed position.
to render (a doorway, window, etc.) unobstructed.
to render the interior of (a box, drawer, etc.) readily accessible.
to make accessible or available:
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 fol. by up):
to open the bidding.
Category: Common Vocabulary
to uncover, lay bare, or expose to view.
to expand, unfold, or spread out:
to open a map.
to make less compact or less closely spaced:
to open ranks.
to disclose, reveal, or divulge.
to render (the mind) accessible to knowledge, sympathy, etc.
to make or produce (an opening):
to open a way through a crowd.
to make an opening in.
Law. to revoke (a decree, judgment, etc.) esp. so as to hear further arguments.
Category: Law
(v.i.)to become open.
to afford access or have an opening to a place:
a door that opens into a garden.
(of a building) to open its doors to the public.
to begin, start, or commence:
The game opened with the national anthem.
to part or seem to part:
The clouds opened.
to become disclosed or revealed.
to come into view; become more visible or plain.
(of the mind) to become receptive to knowledge, sympathy, etc.
to spread out or expand, as the hand or a fan.
to turn the pages of a book, newspaper, etc.:
Open to page 22.
to spread or come apart; burst:
The wound opened.
to become less compact or less closely spaced:
The ranks began to open.
open up, to make or become open. to begin firing a gun, or the like. to share or become willing to share one's feelings, confidences, etc.
Category: Verb Phrase, Status (usage)
(n.)an open or clear space.
the open air or the outdoors.
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.
Category: Sport

^* Syn: See frank1.

Origin of open:

bef. 900; ME, OE

o′pen•ness(n.)

Princeton's WordNet

open, clear(noun)
a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
"finally broke out of the forest into the open"
outdoors, out-of-doors, open air, open(noun)
where the air is unconfined
"he wanted to get outdoors a little"; "the concert was held in the open air"; "camping in the open"
open(noun)
a tournament in which both professionals and amateurs may play
open, surface(adj)
information that has become public
"all the reports were out in the open"; "the facts had been brought to the surface"
open, unfastened(adj)
affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed
"an open door"; "they left the door open"
open(adj)
affording free passage or access
"open drains"; "the road is open to traffic"; "open ranks"
exposed, open(adj)
with no protection or shield
"the exposed northeast frontier"; "open to the weather"; "an open wound"
open(adj)
open to or in view of all
"an open protest"; "an open letter to the editor"
open, opened(adj)
used of mouth or eyes
"keep your eyes open"; "his mouth slightly opened"
open(adj)
not having been filled
"the job is still open"
open(adj)
accessible to all
"open season"; "an open economy"
assailable, undefendable, undefended, open(adj)
not defended or capable of being defended
"an open city"; "open to attack"
loose, open(adj)
(of textures) full of small openings or gaps
"an open texture"; "a loose weave"
open(adj)
having no protecting cover or enclosure
"an open boat"; "an open fire"; "open sports cars"
open(adj)
(set theory) of an interval that contains neither of its endpoints
open, undecided, undetermined, unresolved(adj)
not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought
"an open question"; "our position on this bill is still undecided"; "our lawsuit is still undetermined"
open, opened(adj)
not sealed or having been unsealed
"the letter was already open"; "the opened package lay on the table"
open(adj)
without undue constriction as from e.g. tenseness or inhibition
"the clarity and resonance of an open tone"; "her natural and open response"
receptive, open(adj)
ready or willing to receive favorably
"receptive to the proposals"
overt, open(adj)
open and observable; not secret or hidden
"an overt lie"; "overt hostility"; "overt intelligence gathering"; "open ballots"
open(a)(adj)
not requiring union membership
"an open shop employs nonunion workers"
capable, open, subject(adj)
possibly accepting or permitting
"a passage capable of misinterpretation"; "open to interpretation"; "an issue open to question"; "the time is fixed by the director and players and therefore subject to much variation"
clear, open(adj)
affording free passage or view
"a clear view"; "a clear path to victory"; "open waters"; "the open countryside"
candid, open, heart-to-heart(adj)
openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness
"his candid eyes"; "an open and trusting nature"; "a heart-to-heart talk"
open(verb)
ready for business
"the stores are open"
open, open up(verb)
cause to open or to become open
"Mary opened the car door"
open, open up(verb)
start to operate or function or cause to start operating or functioning
"open a business"
open, open up(verb)
become open
"The door opened"
open(verb)
begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc.
"He opened the meeting with a long speech"
unfold, spread, spread out, open(verb)
spread out or open from a closed or folded state
"open the map"; "spread your arms"
open, open up(verb)
make available
"This opens up new possibilities"
open, open up(verb)
become available
"an opportunity opened up"
open(verb)
have an opening or passage or outlet
"The bedrooms open into the hall"
open(verb)
make the opening move
"Kasparov opened with a standard opening"
afford, open, give(verb)
afford access to
"the door opens to the patio"; "The French doors give onto a terrace"
open(verb)
display the contents of a file or start an application as on a computer

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

open(adjective)ˈoʊpən
not closed
an open door; Her diary lay open on her desk..; Who left the paint can open?; The windows had been left wide open.
openˈoʊpən
≠ closed
We are open seven days a week.; The pool won't be open until this afternoon.
openˈoʊpən
≠ closed
Because of heavy snow the road is unlikely to be open.
openˈoʊpən
(of an area) having no buildings, trees, etc.
a large open space the kids play football on
openˈoʊpən
honest and willing to talk
a friendly, open man; It was not wise to be open about being divorced.
openˈoʊpən
willing to accept other opinions, ideas, etc.
I'm open to ideas about where to go.; I always try to keep an open mind when it comes to my teenage children.
openˈoʊpən
able to be affected
Many computer users leave themselves open to identity fraud.; open to criticism/abuse/attack
openˈoʊpən
(of feelings) obvious, not hidden
an open and shocking hatred of his parents
openˈoʊpən
(of a decision) not yet made
Leave that decision open until we have all the necessary information.
openˈoʊpən
≠ closed
an open meeting; The castle ruins are open to the public.
open(verb)ˈoʊpən
≠ close
She knocked and then opened the door.; Open your eyes and look at me.; The zipper on my bag keeps opening.; Let's open another bottle of wine.
openˈoʊpən
≠ close
The pool opens at 10 a.m.
openˈoʊpən
≠ close
A new gym is opening here next month.; They've opened several new branches recently.
openˈoʊpən
≠ close
The new runway will open next month.; They opened the new runway.
openˈoʊpən
to start shooting a weapon
Without warning troops opened fire.
open(noun)ˈoʊpən
outside
I just had to get out in the open.
openˈoʊpən
publicly known about, no longer secret
There'll be trouble once that information gets out in the open.

Wiktionary

open(Noun)
A sports event in which anybody can contest; as, the Australian Open.
open(Noun)
a wire that is broken midway.
The electrician found the open in the circuit after a few minutes of testing.
open(Noun)
(with the) Open or unobstructed space; an exposed location.
open(Noun)
(with the) Public knowledge or scrutiny; full view.
We have got to bring this company's corrupt business practices into the open.
open(Verb)
To make something accessible or removing an obstacle to something being accessible.
Turn the doorknob to open the door.
open(Verb)
To bring up (a topic).
I don't want to open that subject.
open(Verb)
To make accessible to customers or clients.
I will open the shop an hour early tomorrow.
open(Verb)
To start (a campaign).
Vermont will open elk hunting season next week.
open(Verb)
To become open.
The door opened all by itself.
open(Verb)
To begin conducting business.
The shop opens at 9:00.
open(Verb)
To begin a side's innings as one of the first two batsmen.
open(Verb)
To reveal one's hand.
Jeff opens his hand revealing a straight flush.
open(Verb)
To load into memory for viewing or editing.
open(Adjective)
Which is not closed; accessible; unimpeded; as, an open gate.
open(Adjective)
Actively conducting or prepared to conduct business.
Banks are not open on bank holidays.
open(Adjective)
Receptive.
I am open to new ideas.
open(Adjective)
Public; as, an open letter, an open declaration.
He published an open letter to the governor on a full page of the New York Times.
open(Adjective)
Candid, ingenuous, not subtle in character:
The man is an open book.
open(Adjective)
Having a free variable.
open(Adjective)
Is part of a predefined collection of subsets of , that defines a topological space on .
open(Adjective)
In current use; mapped to part of memory.
I couldn't save my changes because another user had the same file open.
open(Adjective)
Not fulfilled.
I've got open orders for as many containers of red durum as you can get me.
open(Adjective)
without any fingers pressing the string against the fingerboard

Origin: upanaz. Originally a past participle of ūpanan. Akin to up.

The New Hacker's Dictionary

open
Abbreviation for ‘open (or left) parenthesis’ — used when necessary to eliminate oral ambiguity. To read aloud the LISP form (DEFUN FOO (X) (PLUS X 1)) one might say: “Open defun foo, open eks close, open, plus eks one, close close.”