■ adjective
1》 allowing access, passage, or view; not closed, fastened, or restricted.
2》 exposed to the air or to view or attack; not covered or protected: an ~ boat.
↘(of land) not covered with buildings or trees.
↘( ~ to ) vulnerable or subject to.
↘(of a town or city) officially declared to be undefended, and so immune under international law from bombardment.
3》 spread out or unfolded.
↘(of a book) with the covers parted and able to be read.
4》 admitting customers or visitors; available for business.
↘freely available or accessible.
↘(of an offer or opportunity) still available.
5》 frank and communicative.
↘not concealed; manifest.
↘welcoming public discussion, criticism, and enquiry: ~ government.
6》 (of a matter) not finally settled.
↘(often ~ to ) receptive to new ideas.
↘( ~ to ) admitting of; making possible.
7》 Music (of a string) allowed to vibrate along its whole length.
↘(of a pipe) unstopped at each end.
8》 Phonetics (of a vowel) produced with a relatively wide ~ing of the mouth and the tongue kept low.
↘(of a syllable) ending in a vowel.
9》 (of an electric circuit) having a break in the conducting path.
10》 (of a fabric) loosely knitted or woven.
■ verb
1》 move (a door, window, etc.) so that it is ~.
↘undo or remove the cover or fastening of.
↘( ~ on to/into ) (of a door, window, etc.) give access to.
2》 unfold or be unfolded; spread out.
↘part the covers of (a book) to read it.
↘(of a prospect) extend into view.
3》 make or become ~ for customers or visitors.
↘ceremonially declare (a building, road, etc.) to be completed and ready for use.
4》 formally begin or establish.
↘( ~ up or ~ fire ) begin shooting.
↘(of a counsel in a law court) make a preliminary statement in (a case) before calling witnesses.
↘ Bridge make (the first bid) in the auction.
5》 make available or more widely known.
↘( ~ out/up ) become more communicative or confiding.
6》 break the conducting path of (an electric circuit).
■ noun
1》 ( the ~ ) outdoors or in the countryside.
↘(usu. in phr. in/into the ~ ) a lack of concealment or secrecy.
2》 ( Open ) a championship or competition with no restrictions on who may compete.
3》 an accidental break in the conducting path for an electric current.
Phrases
the ~ air a free or unenclosed space outdoors.
in ~ court in a court of law, before the judge and the public.
~-and-shut (of a case or argument) admitting no doubt or dispute; straightforward.
Derivatives
~able adjective
~ness noun
Origin
OE ~ (adjective), ~ian (v.), of Gmc origin, from the root of the adverb up .