From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishopen up phrasal verb1 opportunityDEVELOP if opportunities open up, or a new situation opens them up, they become available or possible With a microscope, a whole new world of investigation opens up.open something ↔ up The new international agreement opens up the possibility of much greater co-operation against terrorism.2 land open something ↔ upREACH if someone opens up an area of land, they make it easier to reach and ready for development The new road will open up 300 acres of prime development land.3 door/container etcOPEN to open something that is closed, locked, or covered Open up, this is the police!open something ↔ up He opened up his case and took out a clean sweater.4 shop/office etc a) BSTART something/MAKE something STARTif a shop, office etc opens up or is opened up, someone starts it b) BBTSTART DOING somethingif a shop, office etc opens up at a particular time, it starts business at that time5 disagreement/discussion open something ↔ upDISAGREE to start a discussion or argument The article was written with the intention of opening up a public debate. 6 competition/race if someone opens up a lead in a competition or race, they increase the distance or number of points by which they are winning7 talkSHY to stop being shy and say what you really think Last night was the first time that Ken had opened up about his feelings.8 with a gunPMWSHOOT to start shooting9 hole/crack etcHOLE if a hole, crack etc opens up or is opened up, it appears and becomes wider → open→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
open up• On our third date Melissa began to open up and told me about her family and about the years she spent in Italy.• Open up - it's the police!• Many people find it easier to open up to a trained professional, such as a counsellor.From Longman Business Dictionaryopen up phrasal verb1 open something up [intransitive, transitive]COMMERCE if a new business opens up or is opened up, someone starts itMore than a dozen US law firms have opened up in the city.2[intransitive, transitive] open something upCOMMERCE if a shop, business etc opens up or is opened up at a particular time, it starts business at that time3[intransitive, transitive] open something upCOMMERCE if a country or market opens up, or someone opens it up, it becomes possible or easier to invest there or sell foreign goods thereAlgeria opened up its big oil and natural gas industry to foreign investment.When China opened up, over-optimistic Americans were full of ideas of selling to one billion Chinese.4[intransitive] if a job opens up, it becomes availableWhen the U.S. attorney’s job opened up, he applied. → open→ See Verb table 