open market

American  

noun

1. an unrestricted competitive market in which any buyer and seller is free to participate.

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open market British  

noun

1. 1. a market in which prices are determined by supply and demand, there are no barriers to entry, and trading is not restricted to a specific area

   2. ( as modifier )

      open-market value

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Other Word Forms

• open-market
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of open market

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open market

Rents can also only be increased once a year to the property's "open market rent".

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Companies usually buy back the issued stock on the open market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

It’s unclear whether those shares were received as an IPO subscription before trading began, or bought in the open market after SpaceX started trading.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Companies typically only share an estimated sell price the day before they begin trading on the open market.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

It was a street in one of the poorer quarters, where there was an open market which was generally crowded and noisy.

From "1984" by George Orwell