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not closed or fastened:
an open door/window
An open suitcase lay on her bed.
You left the container open.
Someone had left the window wide (= completely) open.
He had several nasty open wounds (= those which had not begun to heal).
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ready to be used or ready to provide a service:
The supermarket is open till 8.00 p.m.
The road is open now, but it is often blocked by snow in the winter.
The new hospital was declared open by the mayor.
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not closed in or covered:
It's not a good idea to camp in the middle of an open field (= one which is not covered with trees, bushes, etc.).
Suddenly we had left the city behind and were out in open country.
The survivors were adrift on the open sea (= far from land).
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If a computer document or program is open, it is ready to be read or used:
Make sure you have both files open at the same time.
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available; not limited:
There are still several possibilities open to you.
The competition is open to anyone over the age of 16.
Is the library open to the general public?
Their whole attitude to these negotiations is open to criticism (= can be criticized).
I'd like to think I'm open to (= willing to consider) any reasonable suggestion.
An accident would lay the whole issue of safety open (= cause it to be considered).
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not secret:
There has been open hostility between them ever since they had that argument last summer.
He's very open about his weaknesses.
I wish you'd be more open with me, and tell me what you're feeling.
She has an honest, open face.
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not decided or certain:
We don't have to make a firm decision yet. Let's leave it open.
We can leave our offer open for another week, but we have to have your decision by then.
I want to keep my options open, so I'm not committing myself yet.
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An open question can be answered in many different ways, and not with just "yes" or "no" or by choosing one of a number of fixed answers:
Ask an open question along the lines of "What do you think/feel about this?"
The interviewer should ask open and probing questions.
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to (cause to) begin:
I would like to open my talk by giving a brief background to the subject.
I'm going to open an account with another bank.
The Olympic Games open tomorrow.
A new radio station is due to open (up) next month.
The film opens (= will be shown for the first time) in New York and Los Angeles next week.
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to move something to a position that is not closed, or to make something change to a position that is not closed:
Could you open the window, please?
You can open your eyes now - here's your present.
The flowers open (out) in the morning but close again in the afternoon.
From the kitchen there is a door that opens (out) into the garden.
That door opens (out) onto the patio.
informal "Open up (= open the door) - it's the police!" shouted the police officer, banging on the door.
Don't open a new bottle just for me.
I couldn't wait to open the letter.
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If a shop or office opens at a particular time of day, it starts to do business at that time:
The coffee shop opens at ten o'clock.
He opens (up) his coffee shop at ten o'clock.
The new hospital will be officially opened by the mayor on Tuesday.
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to make something available:
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If you open a computer document or program, you make it ready to read or use:
To open a new document, click "File" and then click "New".
Click the desktop icon to open the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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somewhere outside, rather than in a building:
It's good to be (out) in the open after being cooped up in an office all day.
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to tell people information that was secret:
It's time this issue was brought out into the open.
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being in a position that allows things to pass through or that allows for immediate use; not closed or fastened:
The window was wide open.
The trunk of his car had been pried open.
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ready to be used or to provide a service:
The supermarket is open till 9 p.m.
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not decided or certain:
I want to keep my options open until I have all the facts.
Whether we’ll go is still an open question.
You should keep an open mind about your new school (= not form any opinions) until you’ve been there.
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not secret:
Open warfare had broken out in Yugoslavia.
He is quite open about his weaknesses.
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not enclosed or covered:
The park is one of the city’s largest open spaces.
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available; not limited:
Are there any positions open in the marketing department?
This library is open to the general public.
Their behavior at these negotiations is open to criticism (= can be criticized).
I’m open to (= willing to consider) any reasonable suggestion.
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to begin something or cause it to begin:
[ T ] I would like to open the meeting by asking each of you to introduce yourself.
[ M ] They’re opening up a new restaurant in about a month.
[ I ] The film opens (= will be shown for the first time) next week.
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to become or make something ready to provide a service:
[ I ] The cleaners opens (up) around seven.
[ T ] They opened the exhibit to the public yesterday.
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if a shop, bank, office, etc. is open, its door are unlocked and it is doing business:
Our offices are open from 9 to 5.
The club has a liquor license allowing it to remain open until 2 a.m.
The new airport terminal is now open for business.
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if a financial market is open, investors can trade shares, bonds, etc. on it:
For the purposes of this agreement, a business day is any day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.
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willing to consider something:
open to sth A spokesman for the organization said they were open to a deal at the right price.
open to offers/suggestions/negotiation
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available to be used, considered, etc. :
open to sth Membership is open to all local businesses.
leave the door/option/possibility open The appeals court left open the possibility that the computing giant could be forced to change its business practices.
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not secret or hidden from members, the public, etc.:
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allowing everyone to share their ideas and information:
open debate/dialogue/discussion These are complicated questions, and we welcome an open discussion about them.
open communication
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if a computer file, document, or program is open, it is ready to be used:
Make sure the file you're copying to is open before you click 'Paste'.
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to avoid doing or deciding something immediately in case there is a better opportunity to consider later:
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a court of law where the details of a case are available to the public:
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something which has not been decided yet:
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to wait until you know all the facts before forming an opinion or making a decision about something:
The judge urged the jury to keep an open mind until they had heard all the evidence.
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to start doing business and dealing with customers :
We open daily from 11 to 6.
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to start a new business:
The Chicago-based coffee chain has opened branches in every major city in the UK.
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if shares, bonds, etc. open at a particular price or rate, that is the amount they are worth when trading starts that day:
Share prices on the London Stock Exchange opened lower today.
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to start something:
open a conference/meeting/proceedings The Chief Executive opened the meeting with an announcement of big redundancies throughout the group.
open discussions/negotiations/talks The union had not yet decided when to open negotiations with management.
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if you open a computer file, document, or program you make it ready for you to start reading or working on:
You can open the program from the menu or by double-clicking the icon.
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to enter into an agreement with a bank or other financial organization so that they look after your money:
Open an internet savings account before the end of March and get a free mobile phone.
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to allow foreign countries to sell their goods and products in your country with fair conditions:
The US threatened to put a 100% tax on Japan's luxury cars unless it agreed to open its markets to US cars and parts.
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to make it possible for someone to do something:
The former Republican candidate was key in opening the door for more women to run for office in the US.
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to make a lot of people do something by removing a rule that stopped it being possible before, especially when you do not want this to happen:
Banks feared the legal action could open the floodgates for customers to sue over high fees.
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the time when a stock market begins trading:
Bonds rose at the open after a cut in German interest rates.
Stocks fell heavily at the open of trading today.
