open up

verb

opened up; opening up; opens up

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

Cable cars, local buses and the Bernina railway open up alpine meadows, rock gardens and scree fields. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026

Showrunner, writer and executive producer Jonathan Glatzer, executive producer Gina Mingacci and actors Billy Magnussen and Simon Helberg opened up about the timeliness of the drama. —Emily Longeretta, Variety, 11 May 2026

These have really opened up quite remote parts of southern Peru to adventure travel, to a higher-end clientele. —AFAR Media, 11 May 2026

The actress and country music singer, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, opened up about how the health battle impacted her body image in an interview with People magazine published Saturday, May 9. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 11 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for open up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

open up

verb

1

: to make available

2

: to make visible or come into view

the road opens up ahead

3

: to begin firing (as with a weapon or with questions)