reopen

verb

re·​open (ˌ)rē-ˈō-pən 

-ˈō-pᵊm

reopened; reopening; reopens

transitive verb

1

: to open again

2

a

: to take up again : resume

reopen discussion

b

: to resume discussion or consideration of

reopen a contract

3

: to begin again

intransitive verb

: to open again

school reopens in September

Synonyms of reopen

• continue
• restart
• resume

Examples of reopen in a Sentence

The restaurant will reopen in April.

I'm sorry, but the store is closed. We reopen at nine on Monday.

The cut on his knee reopened when he tried to run.

The company announced plans to reopen its Detroit factory.

a procedure to reopen a clogged artery

The district attorney reopened the murder case because new evidence was found.

He wants the team to reopen his contract.

Recent Examples on the Web

More vessels were hit in waters near Iran and Oman, even as Tehran restated its conditions for reopening the key waterway. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026

Hochul appointed the state attorney general last week to take over a criminal investigation that Van Houten had reopened days earlier, and the governor called for an independent review of Cornell’s handling of the matter. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

According to the Wall Street Journal article, companies including IBM, JBS Foods, Northwell Health and PECO have introduced or reopened pension benefits, driven by factors including employee retention and labor negotiations. — Jeff Stevenson, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

And on the Italian island of Stromboli, formed by the tip of a volcano, a school reopened last month after 20 years with a single student. — Lefteris Pitarakis, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing reopen

• reopen old wounds

Rhymes for reopen

• open
• atropine

Kids Definition

reopen

verb

re·​open (ˈ)rē-ˈō-pən 

-ˈōp-ᵊn

1

: to open again

2

: to take up again : resume

reopen the discussion

Legal Definition

reopen

transitive verb

re·​open ˌrē-ˈō-pən 

1

: to take up again

reopen discussion

2

: to resume the discussion or consideration of (a closed matter)

reopen the contract to negotiate benefits

3

: to try or hear (an action) anew especially for the purpose of hearing new evidence