open shop

noun

: an establishment in which eligibility for employment and retention on the payroll are not determined by membership or nonmembership in a labor union though there may be an agreement by which a union is recognized as sole bargaining agent

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The National California Cherry Blossom Festival draws more than 200,000 people every year, and in the early mornings, older couples walk through the neighborhood hand-in-hand as businesses, some run by the granchildren of the original owners, open shop. Ryan Kost, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Mar. 2021 As a famously adventurous nation looked inward, a new intentionality settled across the country: Why stay in the cities when regional towns offered an opportunity to open shop, cook, and live well? Riley Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 June 2022 Finally, Navarro said, because states are the primary regulators of insurance, tamping down on health care scams can be like playing a game of whack-a-mole — when one state takes action, scammers move to another one to open shop. Bram Sable-smith, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2022 Farther in the warren of the Acre Old City, theater actor Ehab Khaskiye sat outside a rare open shop. Felicia Schwartz, WSJ, 14 May 2021 Five tattoo artists open shop (and fight and draw impressive tatts) on TLC’s Miami Ink, a reality show that brings tattoos further into the mainstream. Paige Stables, Allure, 20 Feb. 2021 When the beloved Barneys New York shuttered in 2019 after declaring bankruptcy, leaving many vendors and collaborators unpaid, part of its liquidation plan was to open shop-in-shops at Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Steff Yotka, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2021 Davenport said that the DAC does not have authority to decide who is allowed to open shop on the property when it is completed. James Whitlow, baltimoresun.com, 19 Aug. 2020 At the few open shops, bored staff members watched movies on their phones, slept or paced aimlessly. Rachel Cheung, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'open shop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of open shop was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near open shop

Cite this Entry

“Open shop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20shop. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Legal Definition

open shop

noun
: an establishment in which eligibility for employment and retention on the payroll are not determined by membership or nonmembership in a labor union though there may be an agreement by which a union is recognized as sole bargaining agent

called also merit shop

compare agency shop, closed shop, union shop

More from Merriam-Webster on open shop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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