Open up meaning
Open up means to start to talk honestly about your feelings. It can also mean to open a door, shop or box, often so that people can come in.
open up
open up · opened · opening
It took months before he opened up to me.
Open up meanings and examples
4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Start to talk honestly about your feelings
open up
- It took months before he opened up to me.
- She doesn’t open up easily to new people.
- Why don’t you open up and tell me what’s wrong?
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2
Open a door, shop or box, often so that people can come in
open something up
- Who opens up the café in the morning?
- The gate was locked, so the guard opened it up for us.
- Someone knocked loudly and shouted, “Open up!”
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3
Start a new shop, business or service
open something up
- A new bakery has opened up on our street.
- They want to open up a second shop next year.
- Did the new gym open up near your office?
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4
Make new chances or places possible
open something up
- Learning English opened up a lot of jobs for me.
- The new bridge opens up the island to tourists.
- This deal could open the market up for small farms.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use open up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is open up separable?
When open up means talk about your feelings, it has no object. Use to for the listener: She opened up to her teacher.
With an object, open up is separable: open up the shop, open the shop up, open it up. Open up is stronger than open; it often means fully or for the first time.
Verb tenses for open up
| Present | I open up · she opens up |
|---|---|
| Past | opened up |
| Present perfect | have opened up |
| -ing form | opening up |
Common mistakes with open up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: He finally opened up with me about his problems.
Right: He finally opened up to me about his problems.
You open up to a person, not with them.
Wrong: Can you open up it for me?
Right: Can you open it up for me?
A pronoun goes between open and up.
Wrong: She opened up her feelings to me.
Right: She opened up to me about her feelings.
In this meaning the person who talks opens up; feelings come after about.
Synonyms and opposites of open up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- confide intell a secret to someone you trust; more formal
- openthe simple verb; open up often means fully or for the first time
- speak upsay what you think, often to defend something
Opposite
- shut downinformal: stop talking and hide your feelings
- close downa shop or business stops for ever
Open up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1After a few weeks, the shy new student began to ___.
Open up means start to talk honestly about yourself.
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2Choose the right sentence.
You open up to the person who listens.
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3“A new café has opened up near the station.” What does this mean?
Here open up means a new business starts.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Open up FAQ
Questions people ask about open up.
What does open up to someone mean?
It means tell someone how you really feel or what worries you. It is often hard to open up to people you don’t know well.
Open vs open up: what is the difference?
Open is the simple action: open the window. Open up often means fully, for the first time, or to let people in: The shop opens at nine, but Sam opens up at eight.
What does open up a can of worms mean?
It means start talking about something that will cause many new problems. Asking about money opened up a can of worms.
Use open up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.