as in key
something that allows someone to achieve a desired goal
it turned out that a simple "please" was the open sesame for charming the hotel manager into giving us a room with a better view
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Recent Examples of open sesame
As Snider used Dorothy as an open sesame to the closed world of Playboy, so Hefner planned to use Dorothy as the open sesame to the closed world of major motion pictures.
—
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for open sesame
Noun
-
This sleeveless mini dress features a modern square neckline, an open back, and convenient side pockets for your phone, wallet, keys, lip gloss, and other essentials.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
-
There was a battered oversized computer keyboard with bold black letters on bright yellow keys.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Georgia finished the season with a record of 53-14, won the SEC regular season and tournament titles, along with punching its first ticket back to Omaha for the first time since 2008.—
Hunter DeLauder,
AJC.com,
18 June 2026
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The Ravens will use a ticketing system that will allow fans to get up to four free tickets for a specific practice.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
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In Africa and the Middle East, where affordable devices have been the primary gateway to the internet for hundreds of millions of people, the drop is projected to exceed 20 percent.—
Tim Bajarin,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
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No other airline has plans to compete with the carrier, sticking instead to traditional one-stop gateways, like Dubai, Los Angeles, or Singapore.—
Edward Russell,
Travel + Leisure,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Open sesame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/open%20sesame. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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