SINCE 1828
open up
verbDefinition of open up
1
: to make available or possible
The discovery opens up the possibility of new cures.
2
: to make plain or visible : disclose
3
: to open by cutting into
1
: to become available or possible
The hostess will let us know when a table opens up.
2
: to spread out or come into view
The road opens up ahead.
3
: to commence firing
4
: to become communicative
tried to get the patient to open up
Examples of open up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even though meeting up for dinner or drinks might be part of your typical social routine, Anat says bringing them in on your goal will give you more support and open up new conversations. — Blake Bakkila, Good Housekeeping, "The 52-Week Money Challenge Is an Easy Way to Save Almost $1,400 This Year," 9 Jan. 2019 Every space on the 1,330 square-foot main floor got a serious makeover: The couple knocked down a wall to open up the dining room and updated the kitchen. — Samantha Weiss Hills, Curbed, "‘It was midcentury time capsule-meets-1980s’," 17 Dec. 2018 The Trump factor brought it on quicker by opening up more pathways to war. — Alex Ward, Vox, "How Trump made the North Korea crisis worse," 12 Dec. 2018 Ricky gets a page in the Burn Book The music video starts (after that iconic intro) with Ari opening up the Burn Book. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "8 Savage Easter Eggs in Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next" Music Video," 3 Dec. 2018 During the four decades of Francoism, his regime is thought to have abducted thousands of children, suppressed political dissent and isolated Spain before slowly opening up its economy in the 1960’s. — Aritz Parra, The Seattle Times, "Franco heirs take upper hand in fight over dictator’s body," 26 Oct. 2018 In 2010, Welter, a Valparaiso native now living in Three Oaks, purchased an 1800s factory with the intent of opening up a whiskey distillery. — Amy Lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Michigan distillery's wastewater hurdles, growth on minds as plans in Valparaiso continue," 13 July 2018 Much of the talk was about whether finishing first or second in Group G would open up easier games. — James Ellingworth, chicagotribune.com, "England, Belgium face off again, this time with 3rd place at stake," 13 July 2018 The Flip did a lot for me, especially opening up opportunities. — Jim Owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "The No. 2 Cincinnati Bengals play in last 30 years: Jerome Simpson’s flip," 12 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'open up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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