open letter

noun

Synonyms of open letternext
: a published letter of protest or appeal usually addressed to an individual but intended for the general public

Examples of open letter in a Sentence

In an open letter to the company, a citizens' group implored company executives to reconsider their decision to close the factory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
By Tuesday afternoon, more than 107,000 people had signed an open letter calling on the government to commission a public inquiry into media coverage of Arday. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 In late July, more than 1,300 employees of frontier AI companies signed an open letter warning that their AI is quickly becoming so powerful that humans may soon no longer be able to control it. — Billy Perrigo, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 The open letter also broadly rejected an alternative to invest an annual C$600M ($430M) into production. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026 Huang posted an open letter, which argued that open-weight models allow companies greater control over their future, spur competition and bring down pricing. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for open letter

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of open letter was in 1898

Rhymes for open letter

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Browse Nearby Words

open-label
open letter
open-letter proof
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Cite this Entry

“Open letter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20letter. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

open letter

noun
: a letter (as one addressed to an official) for the public to see and printed in a newspaper or magazine

More from Merriam-Webster on open letter

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for open letter

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