open letter

American

noun

a letter, often of protest or criticism, addressed to a specific person, but intended to be brought to public attention.

open letter British

noun

a letter, esp one of protest, addressed to a person but also made public, as through the press

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

open-letter

adjective

Etymology

Origin of open letter

First recorded in 1875–80

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.

Employees also circulated an open letter that criticized Musk’s overall behavior, including a reference to the incident reported by Business Insider.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

The situation is bad enough that nine U.S. trade associations sent an open letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday, calling for measures to ease the memory-chip shortage.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

"After five years, our journey together comes to an end," said Silva in an open letter to fans.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

An open letter cites “severe preparation deficits” among incoming students.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Ferdinand Barnett did what he could to aid the strikers, publishing an open letter in a Chicago newspaper to rouse community support.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023