reopen
verb
re·open
(ˌ)rē-ˈō-pən 
-ˈō-pᵊm
reopened; reopening; reopens
1
: to open again
2
a
: to take up again : resume
reopen discussion
b
: to resume discussion or consideration of
reopen a contract
3
: to begin again
: to open again
school reopens in September
Examples of reopen in a Sentence
The restaurant will reopen in April.
I'm sorry, but the store is closed. We reopen at nine on Monday.
The cut on his knee reopened when he tried to run.
The company announced plans to reopen its Detroit factory.
a procedure to reopen a clogged artery
The district attorney reopened the murder case because new evidence was found.
He wants the team to reopen his contract.
Recent Examples on the Web
The government reopened after Republican lawmakers accepted a compromise that Clinton suggested.
—
Chantelle Lee, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Defensive lineman Ari Slocum reopened his recruitment but committed back to the Hogs last week.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2025
Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened after two hours of disruption, but was closed again after more drone sightings.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The plan is certain to divide the Democratic caucus — and possibly also their Republican colleagues — as senators try to assemble a bipartisan deal to reopen the government, ending 35 days of a debilitating shutdown.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reopen
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Chantelle Lee, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Defensive lineman Ari Slocum reopened his recruitment but committed back to the Hogs last week.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2025
Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened after two hours of disruption, but was closed again after more drone sightings.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The plan is certain to divide the Democratic caucus — and possibly also their Republican colleagues — as senators try to assemble a bipartisan deal to reopen the government, ending 35 days of a debilitating shutdown.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reopen
Cite this Entry
“Reopen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reopen. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reopen
verb
re·open
(ˈ)rē-ˈō-pən
-ˈōp-ᵊn
1
: to open again
2
: to take up again : resume
reopen the discussion
Legal Definition
reopen
transitive verb
re·open
ˌrē-ˈō-pən
1
: to take up again
reopen discussion
2
: to resume the discussion or consideration of (a closed matter)
reopen the contract to negotiate benefits
3
: to try or hear (an action) anew especially for the purpose of hearing new evidence
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