open sesame

noun

ˌō-pən-ˈse-sə-mē How to pronounce open sesame (audio)
Definition of open sesamenext
as in key
something that allows someone to achieve a desired goal it turned out that a simple "please" was the open sesame for charming the hotel manager into giving us a room with a better view

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of open sesame As Snider used Dorothy as an open sesame to the closed world of Playboy, so Hefner planned to use Dorothy as the open sesame to the closed world of major motion pictures. — Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for open sesame
  1. key
  2. ticket
  3. gateway
Noun
  • The haunting 56-second clip begins with a theater curtain opening to reveal a nearly empty stage with just a piano and the C key playing repeatedly by itself.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Once a website sets a session cookie, the visiting browser must send a form of the cookie that’s signed with the key stored in the silicon.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of key
Noun
  • Birmingham26, the organisers, say that half of their 250,000 tickets — across morning and evening sessions — are £30 or cheaper.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Disneyland Resort in California offered $50 single-day park hopper tickets for kids ages 3-9 all summer, which typically range from $168 to $279.
    — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of ticket
Noun
  • Flores is known for its colorful volcanic lakes and as a gateway to Komodo National Park, home of the largest lizards on Earth.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • De Niro and the Kaiser Estate were the gateways to the film’s unique structure of simultaneously telling the story of Vito’s ascension and Michael’s descension and the death of the Corleone family his father had built.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of gateway

Browse Nearby Words

open secret
open sesame
open sesames
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Open sesame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/open%20sesame. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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