OPEN


Meaning of OPEN in English

/ ˈəʊpən; NAmE ˈoʊ-/ adjective , verb , noun

■ adjective

NOT CLOSED

1.

allowing things or people to go through :

A wasp flew in the open window.

She had left the door wide open .

OPP closed

2.

( of sb's eyes, mouth, etc. ) with eyelids or lips apart :

She had difficulty keeping her eyes open (= because she was very tired) .

He was breathing through his open mouth.

OPP closed

3.

spread out; with the edges apart :

The flowers are all open now.

The book lay open on the table.

OPP closed

4.

not blocked by anything :

The pass is kept open all the year.

OPP closed

NOT FASTENED

5.

not fastened or covered, so that things can easily come out or be put in :

Leave the envelope open.

The bag burst open and everything fell out.

6.

( of clothes ) not fastened :

Her coat was open.

NOT ENCLOSED

7.

not surrounded by anything; not confined :

open country (= without forests, buildings, etc.)

a city with a lot of parks and open spaces

driving along the open road (= part of a road in the country, where you can drive fast)

NOT COVERED

8.

with no cover or roof on :

an open drain

people working in the open air (= not in a building)

The hall of the old house was open to the sky.

an open wound (= with no skin covering it)

FOR CUSTOMERS / VISITORS

9.

[ not usually before noun ] if a shop / store, bank, business, etc. is open , it is ready for business and will admit customers or visitors :

Is the museum open on Sundays?

The new store will be open in the spring.

The house had been thrown open to the public.

I declare this festival open.

OPP closed

OF COMPETITION / BUILDING

10.

if a competition, etc. is open , anyone can enter it

SYN public :

an open debate / championship / scholarship

She was tried in open court (= the public could go and listen to the trial) .

The debate was thrown open to the audience.

11.

[ not before noun ] open to sb if a competition, building, etc. is open to particular people, those people can enter it :

The competition is open to young people under the age of 18.

The house is not open to the public.

OPP closed

AVAILABLE

12.

[ not before noun ] open (to sb) to be available and ready to use :

What options are open to us?

Is the offer still open?

I want to keep my Swiss bank account open.

OPP closed

NOT PROTECTED

13.

open (to sth) likely to suffer sth such as criticism, injury, etc.

SYN vulnerable :

The system is open to abuse.

He has laid himself wide open to political attack.

NOT HIDDEN

14.

known to everyone; not kept hidden :

an open quarrel

open government

their open display of affection

His eyes showed open admiration as he looked at her.

PERSON'S CHARACTER

15.

honest; not keeping thoughts and feelings hidden

SYN frank :

She was always open with her parents.

He was quite open about his reasons for leaving.

➡ note at honest

16.

open to sth ( of a person ) willing to listen to and think about new ideas :

I'm open to suggestions for what you would like to do in our classes.

NOT YET DECIDED

17.

open (to sth) not yet finally decided or settled :

The race is still wide open (= anyone could win) .

The price is not open to negotiation.

Some phrases in the contract are open to interpretation.

Which route is better remains an open question (= it is not decided) .

In an interview try to ask open questions (= to which the answer is not just 'yes' or 'no') .

CLOTH

18.

with wide spaces between the threads :

an open weave

PHONETICS

19.

(also low ) ( of a vowel ) produced by opening the mouth wide

—compare close (II)

IDIOMS

- be an open secret

- have / keep an open mind (about / on sth)

- keep your ears / eyes open (for sth)

- an open book

- an open invitation (to sb)

- with open arms

—more at burst verb , door , eye noun , market noun , option

■ verb

DOOR / WINDOW / LID

1.

[ vn ] to move a door, window, lid, etc. so that it is no longer closed :

Mr Chen opened the car door for his wife.

OPP close

2.

[ v ] to move or be moved so that it is no longer closed :

The door opened and Alan walked in.

OPP close

CONTAINER / PACKAGE

3.

[ vn ] to remove the lid, undo the fastening , etc. of a container, etc. in order to see or get what is inside :

Shall I open another bottle?

He opened the letter and read it.

EYES

4.

[ vn , v ] if you open your eyes or your eyes open , you move your eyelids upwards so that you can see

OPP close

MOUTH

5.

if you open your mouth or your mouth opens , you move your lips, for example in order to speak :

[ vn ]

He hardly ever opens his mouth (= speaks) .

[also v ]

BOOK

6.

[ vn ] to turn the cover or the pages of a book so that it is no longer closed :

Open your books at page 25.

OPP close

SPREAD OUT

7.

to spread out or unfold ; to spread sth out or unfold it :

[ v ]

What if the parachute doesn't open?

The flowers are starting to open.

[ vn ]

Open the map on the table.

He opened his arms wide to embrace her.

BORDER / ROAD

8.

[ vn ] to make it possible for people, cars, goods, etc. to pass through a place :

When did the country open its borders?

The road will be opened again in a few hours after police have cleared it.

OPP close

FOR CUSTOMERS / VISITORS

9.

( of a shop / store, business, etc. ) to start business for the day; to start business for the first time :

[ v ]

What time does the bank open?

[ vn ]

The company opened its doors for business a month ago.

OPP close

10.

[ v ] to be ready for people to go to :

The new hospital opens on July 1st.

When does the play open?

OPP close

START STH

11.

[ vn ] open sth (with sth) to start an activity or event :

You need just one pound to open a bank account with us.

The police have opened an investigation into the death.

They will open the new season with a performance of 'Carmen'.

Troops opened fire on (= started shooting) the crowds.

➡ note at start

12.

[ v ] open (with sth) ( of a story, film / movie, etc. ) to start in a particular way :

The story opens with a murder.

WITH CEREMONY

13.

[ vn ] to perform a ceremony showing that a building can start being used :

The bridge was opened by the Queen.

COMPUTING

14.

[ vn , v ] to start a computer program or file so that you can use it on the screen

IDIOMS

- open doors for sb

- open your / sb's eyes (to sth)

- open your / sb's mind to sth

- open the way for sb/sth (to do sth)

—more at heart , heaven

PHRASAL VERBS

- open into / onto sth

- open out

- open out (to sb)

- open up

- open sth up | open up

- open sth up

■ noun

the open [ sing. ]

OUTDOORS

1.

outdoors; in the countryside :

Children need to play out in the open .

NOT HIDDEN

2.

not hidden or secret :

Government officials do not want these comments in the open .

They intend to bring their complaints out into the open .

••

WORD ORIGIN

Old English open (adjective), openian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch open and German offen , from the root of the adverb up .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.