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
Faced with a $30 million to $40 million shortfall, Mayor Corey O'Connor petitioned the Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday to reopen the budget and outlined millions of dollars of cuts.
—
Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Other Gulf countries like Qatar have started to reopen campuses — and Saudi Arabia’s schools never closed — even as Iranian missiles and drones continue to hit cities.
—Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Also today, Isaac Chotiner speaks with an Iran expert about what concessions the country would want to reopen the strait and why an off-ramp—let alone a permanent peace—may be so hard to find.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
There wasn't enough to bring charges 40 years ago, but with developments in technology and investigative genealogy, the case was reopened in 2025, according to Lawrenceville Police.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
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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Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Other Gulf countries like Qatar have started to reopen campuses — and Saudi Arabia’s schools never closed — even as Iranian missiles and drones continue to hit cities.
—Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Also today, Isaac Chotiner speaks with an Iran expert about what concessions the country would want to reopen the strait and why an off-ramp—let alone a permanent peace—may be so hard to find.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026
There wasn't enough to bring charges 40 years ago, but with developments in technology and investigative genealogy, the case was reopened in 2025, according to Lawrenceville Police.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reopen
Cite this Entry
“Reopen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reopen. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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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