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 The Clubhouse opens with more than 70 items for adults and kids, including a youth line of T-shirts, crewnecks and hoodies, as well as adult apparel, hats and collectibles. — Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026 What’s great about this is that the brief is very specific but opens it up to all sorts of interpretations. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 This weekend’s release opens the anniversary to a wider audience with three new iterations of the trio. — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 The Heat opens the regular season on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Kaseya Center. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 Write down every path your experience opens beyond up, sideways and out. — Daria Rudnik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Those factors will provide some fire risk before temperatures tumble and a window for rain opens next week. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Focus Features’ Sense and Sensibility, director Georgia Oakley’s fresh take on Jane Austen’s iconic novel, opens wide in 2,436 locations. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 State political leaders are trying to enthuse voters as early voting opens. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opens
Verb
  • Final Thoughts By removing the camera, the Ray-Ban Meta Audio eliminates the privacy baggage of smart glasses and unlocks a far more practical everyday device.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Bettors earn Unity Rewards points on every wager, which unlocks bonus bets and other perks for Hard Rock hotels and locations.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The approval clears the path for Boeing to begin delivering the 737-10 in the coming months.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The district recommended running an outside faucet until the water clears.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This is becoming especially important as the AI economy expands.
    — H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Larger aircraft expands capacity The 737-10 typically seats between 185 and 210 passengers in a two-class configuration, although its maximum seating capacity reaches 230.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Special envoy Steve Witkoff praises President Vladimir Putin after Russia frees a retired American teacher.
    — David Hickey, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
  • That frees up human operators to focus on big-picture decisions, such as monitoring weather forecasts, running flight simulations for possible paths, and then chaining together a series of navigational waypoints for the smoothest possible journey.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Its arrival begins the process of turning a military transport into a specialized communications platform designed for one of America’s most critical defense missions.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • My latest stargazing obsession There's something special about stargazing during the blue hour — that brief transition when daylight drains from the sky and night's window begins to open.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • His work at times extends beyond Ghana to include international like with people like the Kenyan British artist Michael Armitage and his Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.
    — Gameli Hamelo, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Prediction extends beyond the cerebral cortex The researchers used machine learning to determine whether brain activity patterns could distinguish between visual and tactile experiences.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The process, in other words, commences with the industrial production of miniature supernovas.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • January 2025 to May 2025 Cornell commences a Title IX investigation.
    — Amy B Wang, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • One of the franchise’s best scenes unfolds at the end of Stefano Sollima’s second installment, Day of the Soldado.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Levy plays Jane Cooper, whose marathon unfolds alongside flashbacks.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Opens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opens. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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