open sentence

noun

: a statement (as in mathematics) that contains at least one blank or unknown and that becomes true or false when the blank is filled or a quantity is substituted for the unknown

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Firstly, that opening sentence caught a lot of people’s attention. —

Graeme Mcmillan, WIRED, 8 July 2018 Rossetti said the plea deal was altered to involve an open sentence by the judge upon the guilty plea, but officials said Sherman, a Fox Lake resident, could not be sentenced to more than five years under the current charges against her. —

Jim Newton, Lake County News-Sun, 7 Sep. 2017

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

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of open sentence was in 1937

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Open sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20sentence. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

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Kids Definition

open sentence

noun

: a statement (as in mathematics) that contains at least one blank or unknown and that becomes true or false when the blank is filled or a quantity is substituted for the unknown

"n + 5 = 3" and "It is divisible by 6" are open sentences