to open
- verb
- /ˈoʊpən/
- A crack of sun came through the window Christina had opened, like a huge golden pencil.
- rooms open onto
You get there and you open that door, dude.
- You get there and you open that door, dude.
- And then Mav comes out and Mav opens the garage door.
- And then the the bus stops, the door opens and the yelling starts.
- Then another solenoid valve at the end opens up to fire.
- And with no trouble at all, Bryce opens the gate once more.
- I just use the VIP entrance that opens right into seafood.
- The female officer walks backward as she says open the door now.
Examples
-
A moment later, the door behind her opened and Bastable stood on the threshold.
Fiction book (1990) -
Jacob throws the chair on the floor, opens the door, and hurries into the hallway.
Fiction book (1990) -
First things first, have to open all the windows.
-
So you can go out and open a window in your office.
-
You walk into the front door, it opens like this.
-
And then the the bus stops, the door opens and the yelling starts.
-
Behind him, we can see the door to Leo's office opening and Leo coming out.
Fiction book (1990) -
Lettie heard his boots on the wood and opened the door for the man.
Fiction book (1990) -
No escaping the noise, Adrienne gently opens the door wide enough to slip through.
Fiction book (1990) -
She walked over and opened the sliding door to let in some fresh air.
Synonyms
Completely open and available with nothing stopping access
Completely open with nothing closed or covering it
Slightly open, like a door or window
Very wide open, often like a large hole or empty space
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Stay half awake and watch for danger while you sleep because you are afraid
- Offensive
To attack or punish someone suddenly and violently, often for something they did
- Offensive
To show a company's private information to others, often during business talks
- Informal
To not pay attention and miss what is happening around you, for example because you are daydreaming
- Informal
To try to make something happen when it is already easy or people already agree
Phrasal Verbs
- Texting
To create a new browser tab so you can view another web page without leaving the current page
Compounds
- Literature
A letter written to one person but published for everyone to read to make people notice a problem
- Specialized
An operation where doctors open the chest to operate on the heart
- NSFW
A marriage in which both partners allow each other to have sex with other people
- Literature
An early election before the main vote where any registered voter can vote for candidates of only one party
A way to let many countries trade equally with one country, used for China in the late 1800s
A British university that offers part-time online and distance courses for adults, often without usual entry rules
- Specialized
A fabric with threads placed far apart so small holes let light and air through
A way of allowing foreign companies to trade on the same terms as local companies
- Specialized
A common eye disease that slowly reduces side vision when eye fluid cannot drain
- Specialized
A set of numbers between two points that does not include the end points
- Specialized
Soldiers standing with wide spaces between ranks so an officer can walk between them for inspection
- Specialized
A borrowing plan that lets you borrow up to a set limit and use it again as you repay
- Specialized
A company that sells and buys back shares any time at a price based on its assets
- Archaic
A large hot oven that makes steel by heating metal on a shallow bed with flames above
- Archaic
A way of making steel by melting iron and scrap metal in a large open furnace
How Open
Surface Forms
Etymology
Open as a verb comes from the idea 'not closed', so if a room or door opens onto a garden it has a way through to that space. That is why we say rooms or doors 'open' into other areas.