open shop

American  

noun

1. a factory, office, or other business establishment in which a union, chosen by a majority of the employees, acts as representative of all the employees in making agreements with the employer, but in which union membership is not a condition of employment.

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open shop British  

noun

1. an establishment in which persons are hired and employed irrespective of their membership or nonmembership of a trade union Compare closed shop union shop

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open shop Cultural  

1. A business that employs both unionized and nonunionized labor.

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Other Word Forms

• anti-open-shop
  noun
• open-shop
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of open shop

First recorded in 1895–1900

Compare meaning

How does open-shop compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• open shop vs. closed shop

Example Sentences

He’s already alluded to a reelection campaign, saying it might take more time to reestablish his hometown as a city where every tourist wants to visit and every business wants to open shop.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

It is an open shop, meaning it has not signed a deal to employ only union workers.

From New York Times • Nov. 6, 2021

The displaced townspeople are up before dawn, heading to gas stations or any open shop hoping to buy bread or something else to eat.

From Washington Post • Jan. 8, 2020

Customers fill the parking lot at Arizona Maintenance, waiting for Aribal Benitez to open shop.

From The Guardian • Aug. 31, 2019

Waiters and waitresses in black-and-white uniforms swing open shop doors as the aroma of noodle soup greets waiting customers.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung