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

More than 5,000 entertainment industry workers, including Jane Fonda, Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Javier Bardem, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Ruffalo, signed an open letter calling on Bonta to block the merger. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026

Ukraine's Zelenskyy penned an open letter to Russia's Putin last month, proposing talks and saying Kyiv is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 July 2026

The Independence and Fort Osage School Districts sued LeVota and the county in June, echoing an open letter from 12 Jackson County school districts along the same lines. — Ilana Arougheti july 7, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026

In an open letter, former political leaders from Austria, Sweden, New Zealand, Ireland, and more backed this call for support. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for open letter

• carburetter
• carburettor
• abettor
• newsletter
• typesetter
• better
• bettor
• debtor
• fetter
• getter
• netter
• petter

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