opens

present tense third-person singular of open
1
2
3
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in frees
to rid the surface of (as an area) from things in the way snowplows opened the runway without much trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5

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 Fights are then slotted roughly every 20 to 30 minutes, the same staggered build these DAZN boxing cards tend to follow, so the headliners are still hours away when the broadcast opens. Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026 The heavy metal doors creak as Faye, the regional health official, opens them. Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 13 June 2026 Trump also plans individual meetings on the sidelines of the summit, which opens Monday, with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the Iran war. ABC News, 13 June 2026 The team opens World Cup play with a match against Croatia in North Texas. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026 An Ivorian pastor and former journalist, Marie opens her home in Tunisia to three generations of migrant women. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 12 June 2026 The main parlor level is anchored by a dramatic double-height great room, while the kitchen opens directly onto a terrace overlooking the garden below. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 June 2026 Here, the role is reimagined as Taylor, a younger mother of three who, as the film opens, has a passing encounter with Julia before trying to go on with her own day. David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2026 Haiti opens its World Cup campaign against Scotland in Boston on June 13, then plays Brazil June 19 in Philadelphia and Morocco June 24 in Atlanta. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opens
Verb
  • Its transformation abilities are largely the result of a rotating shaft inside the rover that unlocks the robot’s wheels—a feature LEV-2 borrowed from children’s toys.
    Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 11 June 2026
  • As the track slowly unlocks and lifts riders to a forward-facing position, one rider gives a thumbs-up and claps.
    Saleen Martin, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Families are informed when their pet boards, lands, clears customs, and is delivered—all in real time, across the globe.
    Jason Phillips, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The path clears, and offers a vista to Skerjafjörður Bay, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the shores of Iceland.
    Brienne Walsh, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight 5-piece Cook Set This ultralight collapsible cook set packs down small but expands into a legit camp kitchen.
    Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 11 Dec. 2025
  • That number will likely rise dramatically as Blue Ribbon Elite expands to more campuses.
    Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • The system also documents [the products that] will underperform, which is often the call merchants care about most, because killing the wrong bets early frees capital for the right ones.
    Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 10 June 2026
  • Removing the lowest leaves from tomato plants also frees up garden space and can allow you to companion plant lower growing veggies, herbs, and flowers beneath tomatoes.
    Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • Each aircraft launches autonomously, carries out reconnaissance and target acquisition tasks, then returns to the vehicle or installation for capture and recharging before the next sortie begins.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
  • What begins as a survival nightmare slowly transforms into something far more disturbing as fractured memories, conflicting realities, and hidden truths force Ann to confront the possibility that the greatest threat may not be lurking in the woods at all, but buried deep within her own psyche.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • The vote extends a 17-year transformation effort at a once-infamous campus.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
  • After years of abject failures, underachievement or agonising near-misses, Tuchel was hired to end England’s wait for a major international men’s trophy, which now extends to 60 years.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Homer Gere, Yvonne Chapman, Ellen Barkin, Willem Dafoe and Michael Douglas have rounded out the cast of Oliver Stone‘s upcoming pic White Lies as principal photography commences.
    Justin Kroll, Deadline, 10 June 2026
  • Looking back at Barber, Spark commences some light back-pedaling.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • The Pocket Blanket folds down to roughly the size of a wallet but unfolds into a surprisingly spacious ground cover for picnics, lunch breaks, beach days, and campsite lounging.
    Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
  • And El Niño unfolds a little bit differently each time, so the exact effects aren’t certain.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 11 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Opens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opens. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

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