open arms
33
2.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
con los brazos abiertos
- Your friends will welcome you back with open arms after your long journey.
- welcome with open arms
If anything, we, the community should be welcoming them with open arms and saying sorry.
- If anything, we, the community should be welcoming them with open arms and saying sorry.
- Canada, I hope that you will welcome me with open arms.
- Maybe today you let it go and you approach them with open arms and open spirit to try to repair.
- Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he saw Helios radiant smile and open arms.
- And I got to my units and, you know, I was welcomed with open arms.
- So with that, it's meant making the amends, but not expecting people to just welcome me with open arms and say we forgive you.
- Please with open arms and a warm heart, say hello to my collaboration with OFRA.
Examples
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I'll be right here to welcome the winner with open arms.
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Dad, in his letter to me in the will, told me I should accept you with open arms.
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Man, she came to me with open arms.
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Your captain will welcome you back with open arms.
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If you still want to help there too, you will be welcome with open arms.
Blog text (17) -
When we arrived in the towns, people received us with open arms.
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We're suggesting you take extended leave until the end of term and then we will welcome you back with open arms.
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Ever since we came to New Orleans, everybody has welcomed us with open arms.
Blog text (1) -
Everyone welcomes you with open arms.
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Joey Hammond has the farm now, but everyone would welcome you with open arms.
Fiction book (1997)
Antonyms
How Welcoming
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'very welcoming' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'open' (receptive) with 'arms' (limbs): the mental image of someone with their arms open signalling welcome maps clearly onto the idiom. This physical and cross‑linguistically common metaphor (e.g. Spanish 'con los brazos abiertos', French 'à bras ouverts') makes the phrase predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The phrase open arms comes from the clear image of someone standing with their arms wide open to hug or welcome another person. That's why being received with open arms means being 'welcomed warmly and eagerly'.