OPENS Synonyms: 130 Similar and Opposite Words

opens

verb

Definition of opens next

present tense third-person singular of open

as in unlocks

to change from a closed to an open position please open the door to let the cat out

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Relevance

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as in clears

to make passage through (something) possible by removing obstructions we need to open this drain that's clogged with hair

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as in expands

to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area when we got too close, the cardinal opened its wings and flew to a higher branch

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as in frees

to rid the surface of (as an area) from things in the way snowplows opened the runway without much trouble

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as in begins

to take the first step in (a process or course of action) we will open the proceedings tomorrow with a short ceremony

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of opens September 23 – October 22 Seeing things differently today opens new possibilities for you. —

Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026 Libra September 23 – October 22 Seeing things differently today opens new possibilities for you. —

Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 Sometimes a person opens the top of their skull to reach inside; in her painting Threading the Story Through the Eye of a Needle (circa 1974), a hand pulls a line of thread through a pupil, towing two tiny people in a boat, suggesting both sight and an idea made manifest. —

Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 Depending on the season (the camp opens from May through December, when temperatures are pleasant), days fill with picnics in the mountains, visits to Buddhist festivals, or merit-making ceremonies at nearby temples and shrines. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026 Frankie and the Witch Fingers opens the show. —

Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026 The film opens in theaters starting May 8 from 1-2 Special. —

Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Apr. 2026 The piece opens with Bambaataa, then twenty-four years old. —

Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026 The apps and websites can only be accessed again once the user opens the Brick app and taps the phone back on the little grey box. —

Greta Cross, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for opens

Verb

The collaboration kicks off a new Happy Meal, which includes a special box, one of 12 collectible character toys (two new characters will be rolled out every week); an activity book and a QR code that unlocks an interactive game that involves saving Hawkins from monsters.

— Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
But national historic status also unlocks potential state and federal tax credits that developers can use to help rehab and repurpose historic buildings.

— Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026