open up
Britishverb
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(intr) to start firing a gun or guns
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(intr) to speak freely or without restraint
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informal (intr) (of a motor vehicle) to accelerate
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(tr) to render accessible
the motorway opened up the remoter areas
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to make or become more exciting or lively
the game opened up after half-time
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Spread out, unfold, as in A green valley opened up before us . [Early 1800s]
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Begin operation, as in The new store opens up next month . [Late 1700s]
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Begin firing, begin attacking, as in The artillery opened up at dawn , or, figuratively, The speaker opened up fiercely on the opposition . [1930s] Also see open fire .
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Speak freely and candidly, as in At last the witness opened up and told what happened . “ Colloquial ; c. 1920]
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Make an opening by cutting, as in The surgeon opened up the patient's chest .
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Become available or accessible, as in With new markets opening up all the time we hope to see our revenues increase dramatically . [Mid-1800s]
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Increase the speed of a vehicle, as in Let's see how fast the car will go if you open it up . [ Colloquial ; c. 1920]
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Open the door, let me (or us) in, as in Open up! This is the police . [Mid-1900s] Note that in all of these usages except def. 4 and 7, up serves as an intensifier, that is, it emphasizes the verb 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 podcast, he says, is a space for him to open up more than he already has.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
"Small changes in the properties of soft materials over micron distances are finally possible, which will open up all sorts of possibilities," Melosh said.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
"They have to open up the Strait of Trump -- I mean Hormuz. Excuse me, I'm so sorry. Such a terrible mistake."
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
"It was fun getting to open up," she remembers.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
About ten seconds later the elevator stops and the doors open up inside the closet of an empty hotel room.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
