-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
open letter
noun
: 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
Joaquin Phoenix, Elliott Gould, Chloe Fineman and more than 150 other Jewish creatives have signed an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Over 200 artists including Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Metro Boomin, and Pearl Jam have signed an open letter from the Artist Rights Alliance calling on artificial intelligence companies to cease using artists’ music without permission to train their AI tech.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Last year, a coalition of 19 states, led by Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, signed an open letter declaring their opposition to the use of ESG criteria in government investing and outlined legislative priorities to that effect.
—Tilak Doshi, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
More than two dozen tribal nations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, all of which are crisscrossed by Enbridge pipelines, have signed an open letter to President Biden asking his administration to get involved.
—Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Hundreds of Jewish creatives signed an open letter to the Motion Picture Academy in January demanding inclusion in its diversity standards, while the WGA West established a permanent Jewish committee for its members earlier this year.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024
Recently Lambda Legal joined 350 other local, state and national organizations in an open letter calling for the removal of Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, Ryan Walters.
—Lz Granderson, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024
The open letter continues to gain signatures, while Zone of Interest executive producer Danny Cohen has publicly distanced himself from the director's words.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
In the days following the open letter denouncing Glazer, the British director received support on social media from actors including Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Kazan and Melissa Barrera.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'open letter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1898, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near open letter
Cite this Entry
“Open letter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20letter. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share