leave open
Idioms-
Keep undecided or unscheduled, as in We don't know how much fabric will be needed; let's leave that open , or The doctor leaves Fridays open for consultation . This expression uses open in the sense of “undetermined,” a usage dating from the mid-1500s.
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leave oneself open . Remain vulnerable to; also, remain willing to consider. For example, Her actions left her open to widespread criticism , or I left myself open to further suggestions about how to proceed . Also see under lay open .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The final minutes of “Wayward” appear to leave open the possibility of a second season.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025
That would leave open the possibility that the Fed’s prime lending rates stays at, or close to, 5.5 percent, the highest in decades, through the spring and summer house-buying season.
From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2024
McAfee did leave open the possibility of Fulton County, Ga. District Attorney Fani Willis' office pursuing a reindictment expanding the six scrapped counts with more details.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2024
Whilst no decision has been made, it does at least leave open the possibility of the Dutchman remaining in position into next season, as he himself has suggested with his public statements.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2024
Papers that I keep in my private safe, to which no one has a key but myself, which I never leave open if I leave the room even to go into another room, are taken.
From The Ivory Gate, a new edition by Besant, Walter, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
