open
adj
1 not closed or barred
the door is open
2 affording free passage, access, view, etc.; not blocked or obstructed
the road is open for traffic
3 not sealed, fastened, or wrapped
an open package
4 having the interior part accessible
an open drawer
5 extended, expanded, or unfolded
an open newspaper, an open flower
6 ready for business
the shops are open
7 able to be obtained; available
the position advertised last week is no longer open
8 unobstructed by buildings, trees, etc.
open countryside
9 free to all to join, enter, use, visit, etc.
an open competition
10 unengaged or unoccupied
the doctor has an hour open for you to call
11 See →open season
12 not decided or finalized
an open question
13 ready to entertain new ideas; not biased or prejudiced
an open mind
14 unreserved or candid
she was very open in her description
15 liberal or generous
an open hand
16 extended or eager to receive (esp. in the phrase with open arms)
17 exposed to view; blatant
open disregard of the law
18 liable or susceptible
you will leave yourself open to attack if you speak
19 (of climate or seasons) free from frost; mild
20 free from navigational hazards, such as ice, sunken ships, etc.
open water
21 (U.S.) without legal restrictions or enforceable regulations, esp. in relation to gambling, vice, etc.
an open town
22 without barriers to prevent absconding
an open prison
23 having large or numerous spacing or apertures
open ranks
24 full of small openings or gaps; porous
an open texture
25 (Printing) (of type matter) generously leaded or widely spaced
26 (Music)
a (of a violin or guitar string) not stopped with the finger
b (of a pipe, such as an organ pipe) not closed at either end
c (of a note) played on such a string or pipe
27 (Commerce)
a in operation; active
an open account
b unrestricted; unlimited
open credit, open insurance cover
28 See →open cheque
29 (of a return ticket) not specifying a date for travel
30 (Sport)
a (of a goal, court, etc.) unguarded or relatively unprotected
the forward missed an open goal
b (of a stance, esp. in golf) characterized by the front of the body being turned forward
31 (of a wound) exposed to the air
32 (esp. of the large intestine) free from obstruction
33 undefended and of no military significance
an open city
34 (Phonetics)
a denoting a vowel pronounced with the lips relatively wide apart
b denoting a syllable that does not end in a consonant, as in pa
35 (Chess) (of a file) having no pawns on it
36 (Maths) (of a set) containing points whose neighbourhood consists of other points of the same set
points inside a circle are an open set
37 (Computing) (of software or a computer system) designed to an internationally agreed standard in order to allow communication between computers, irrespective of size, maufacturer, etc.
vb
38 to move or cause to move from a closed or fastened position
to open a window
39 when intr, foll by: on or onto to render, be, or become accessible or unobstructed
to open a road, to open a parcel, the door opens into the hall
40 intr to come into or appear in view
the lake opened before us
41 tr to puncture (a boil) so as to permit drainage
42 to extend or unfold or cause to extend or unfold
to open a newspaper
43 to disclose or uncover or be disclosed or uncovered
to open one's heart
44 to cause (the mind) to become receptive or (of the mind) to become receptive
45 to operate or cause to operate
to open a shop
46 when intr, sometimes foll by: out to make or become less compact or dense in structure
to open ranks
47 to set or be set in action; start
to open a discussion, to open the batting
48 tr to arrange for (a bank account, savings account, etc.) usually by making an initial deposit
49 to turn to a specified point in (a book, magazine, etc.)
open at page one
50 (Law) to make the opening statement in (a case before a court of law)
51 intr (Cards) to bet, bid, or lead first on a hand
n
52 often preceded by: the any wide or unobstructed space or expanse, esp. of land or water
53 See →open air
54 (Sport) a competition which anyone may enter
55 ♦ bring (or come) into the open to make (or become) evident or public, (See also) →open up
(Old English; related to Old French open, epen, Old Saxon opan, Old High German offan)
♦ openable adj
♦ openly adv
♦ openness n
half-open
adj (Chess) (of a file) having a pawn or pawns of only one colour on it
open air
n
a the place or space where the air is unenclosed; the outdoors
b (as modifier)
an open-air concert
open-and-shut
adj easily decided or solved; obvious
an open-and-shut case
open book
n a person or thing without secrecy or concealment that can be easily known or interpreted
Open Brethren
n one of the two main divisions of the Plymouth Brethren that, in contrast to the Exclusive Brethren, permits contacts with members outside the sect
open chain
n a chain of atoms in a molecule that is not joined at its ends into the form of a ring
open cheque
n an uncrossed cheque that can be cashed at the drawee bank
open circuit
n an incomplete electrical circuit in which no current flows
Compare →closed circuit
Open College
n the. (in Britain) a college of art founded in 1987 for mature students studying foundation courses in arts and crafts by television programmes, written materials, and tutorials
open court
n a court or trial to which members of the public are freely admitted
open cut
n (Civil engineering) an excavation made in the open rather than in a tunnel
See →cut-and-cover
open-cut mining
n the Austral. and N.Z. name for →opencast mining
open day
n an occasion on which an institution, such as a school, is open for inspection by the public, (Also called) at-home (U.S. and Canadian name) open house
open door
n
1 a policy or practice by which a nation grants opportunities for trade to all other nations equally
2 free and unrestricted admission
adj
♦ open-door
3 open to all; accessible
4 (in industrial relations) designating a policy of management being prepared to talk to workers in the office at any time
open-ended
adj
1 without definite limits, as of duration or amount
an open-ended contract
2 denoting a question, esp. one on a questionnaire, that cannot be answered ``yes'', ``no'', or ``don't know''
open-eyed
adj
1 with the eyes wide open, as in amazement
2 watchful; alert
open-faced
adj
1 having an ingenuous expression
2 (of a watch) having no lid or cover other than the glass
open-field
adj prenominal (Medieval history) of or denoting the system in which an arable area was divided into unenclosed strips, esp. cultivated by different tenants
open game
n (Chess) a relatively simple game involving open ranks and files, permitting tactical play, and usually following symmetrical development
Compare →closed game
open-handed
adj generous; liberal
♦ open-handedly adv
♦ open-handedness n
open-hearted
adj
1 kindly and warm
2 disclosing intentions and thoughts clearly; candid
♦ open-heartedly adv
♦ open-heartedness n
open-hearth furnace
n (esp. formerly) a steel-making reverbatory furnace in which pig iron and scrap are contained in a shallow hearth and heated by producer gas
open-hearth process
n a process for making steel using an open-hearth furnace
open-heart surgery
n surgical repair of the heart during which the blood circulation is often maintained mechanically
open house
n
1 a U.S. and Canadian name for →at-home →open day
2 ♦ keep open house to be always ready to provide hospitality
3 (U.S. and N.Z.) a house available for inspection by prospective buyers
open learning
n a system of further education on a flexible part-time basis
open letter
n a letter, esp. one of protest, addressed to a person but also made public, as through the press
open market
n
a a market in which prices are determined by supply and demand, there are no barriers to entry, and trading is not restricted to a specific area
b (as modifier)
open-market value
open market operations
pl n (Finance) the purchase and sale on the open market of government securities by the Bank of England for the purpose of regulating the supply of money and credit to the economy
open marriage
n a marriage in which the partners are free to pursue their own social and sexual lives
open-minded
adj having a mind receptive to new ideas, arguments, etc.; unprejudiced
♦ open-mindedly adv
♦ open-mindedness n
open-mouthed
adj
1 having an open mouth, esp. in surprise
2 greedy or ravenous
3 clamorous or vociferous
open order
n (Military) a formation that allows additional space between the ranks of a guard or inspected unit to allow the inspecting officer to pass
open-plan
adj having no or few dividing walls between areas
an open-plan office floor
open policy
n an insurance policy in which the amount payable in the event of a claim is settled after the loss or damage has occurred
Compare →valued policy
open position
n (Commerce) a situation in which a dealer in commodities, securities, or currencies has either unsold stock or uncovered sales
open primary
n (U.S. government) a primary in which any registered voter may participate
Compare →closed primary
open prison
n a penal establishment in which the prisoners are trusted to serve their sentences and so do not need to be locked up, thus extending the range of work and occupation they can safely undertake
open punctuation
n punctuation characterized by sparing use of stops, esp. of the comma
Compare →close punctuation
open question
n
1 a matter which is undecided
2 a question that cannot be answered with yes or no but requires a developed answer
open-reel
adj another term for →reel-to-reel
open sandwich
n a slice of bread covered with a spread or filling but without a top
open season
n
1 a specified period of time in the year when it is legal to hunt or kill game or fish protected at other times by law
2 often foll by: on a time when criticism or mistreatment is common
open season on women employees
open secret
n something that is supposed to be secret but is widely known
open sentence
n (Logic) an expression containing a free variable that can be replaced by a name to yield a sentence, as x is wise, (Also called) propositional function, sentential function
open sesame
n a very successful means of achieving a result
(from the magical words used by Ali Baba in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments to open the door of the robbers' den)
open set
n (Maths)
1 a set which is not a closed set
2 an interval on the real line excluding its end points, as ]0, 1[, the set of reals between, but excluding, 0 and 1
open shop
n an establishment in which persons are hired and employed irrespective of their membership or nonmembership of a trade union
Compare →closed shop →union shop
open slather
n See →slather →2
open texture
n (Philosophy) the failure of natural languages to determine future usage, particularly the ability of predicates to permit the construction of borderline cases
Open University
n the. (in Britain) a university founded in 1969 for mature students studying by television and radio lectures, correspondence courses, local counselling, and summer schools
open up
vb adv
1 intr to start firing a gun or guns
2 intr to speak freely or without restraint
3 intr
Informal (of a motor vehicle) to accelerate
4 tr to render accessible
the motorway opened up the remoter areas
5 to make or become more exciting or lively
the game opened up after half-time
open verdict
n a finding by a coroner's jury of death without stating the cause
wide-open
adj wide open when postpositive
1 open to the full extent
2 postpositive exposed to attack; vulnerable
3 uncertain as to outcome
4 (U.S.)
informal (of a town or city) lax in the enforcement of certain laws, esp. those relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol, gambling, the control of vice, etc.
