open letter

noun

: a published letter of protest or appeal usually addressed to an individual but intended for the general public

Examples of open letter in a Sentence

In an open letter to the company, a citizens' group implored company executives to reconsider their decision to close the factory.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Additionally, more than 400 artists and entertainment industry figures signed an open letter published from the ACLU. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025 Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik, and Greg Berlanti are among 1,200 industry figures who have signed an open letter decrying an Israeli film boycott. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025 Around 1200 artists and executives from the entertainment world have signed an open letter condemning any Israeli film boycott calls amid the Gaza conflict. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025 The Architect’s Newspaper reports that the group sent an open letter to the biennial’s organizers a day ahead of the event’s September 18 opening announcing their withdrawal over biennial supporter Crown Family Philanthropies’ 10 percent stake in General Dynamics. News Desk, Artforum, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for open letter

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of open letter was in 1898

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Cite this Entry

“Open letter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20letter. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

open letter

noun
: a letter (as one addressed to an official) for the public to see and printed in a newspaper or magazine

More from Merriam-Webster on open letter

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