open letter

noun

Definition of open letter

: 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 State Senator Barry Finegold, who played football at Andover High School and at Franklin and Marshall College, wrote an open letter to Duxbury that included an offer to meet. — BostonGlobe.com, "Changing hearts and minds is the challenge after Duxbury High football episode," 27 Mar. 2021 The students also wrote an open letter to Smith asking for an apology. — Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, "USD law professor under investigation over Chinese reference in coronavirus blog post," 19 Mar. 2021 Board chair Rani Borkar wrote an open letter to the Oregon State community saying the board would meet Wednesday to review a report by an outside law firm commissioned by LSU to look into how the school handled the cases. — Eddie Pells, Star Tribune, "Oregon St scrutinizing president for actions in LSU cases," 16 Mar. 2021 Howard Shook, the longtime city councilman for the area, wrote an open letter to the Bottoms administration, criticizing its leadership. — Cameron Mcwhirter, WSJ, "Atlanta’s Crime Wave Makes Some Residents Look to the Suburbs," 11 Mar. 2021 That didn’t sit well with the Illinois Director of Athletic, who published an open letter to Illinois fans. — Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, "Big Ten Conference Tournament 2021: Odds, Bracket, Top Teams And Picks," 10 Mar. 2021 Dylan Farrow wrote an open letter in 2014, posted by the New York Times opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof, recounting her story in detail. — Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, "Why My Teenage Self Gave Woody Allen a Pass," 5 Mar. 2021 In January, Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives wrote an open letter criticizing Abbott’s unclear vaccination plans. — Lydia Wang, refinery29.com, "Texas Deserves Better," 3 Mar. 2021 The Indian government must suspend sweeping new Internet regulations, 10 international NGOs said in an open letter Thursday. — Billy Perrigo, Time, "India's New Internet Rules Are a Step Toward 'Digital Authoritarianism,' Activists Say. Here's What They Will Mean," 11 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'open letter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Open letter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20letter. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for open letter

open letter

noun

English Language Learners Definition of open letter

: a letter that is published in a newspaper but that is addressed to a well-known person or to an organization

See the full definition for open letter in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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