open up to

Meaning

To share your deep feelings, secrets, or personal thoughts with someone, especially after being quiet or guarded. It implies building trust and showing vulnerability in a relationship, whether with a friend, partner, or therapist.

Examples

• It took a long time for her to open up to her therapist.

  It took a long time for her to open up to her therapist.

• I find it really hard to open up to new people.

  I find it really hard to open up to new people.

• Once he got to know me, he started to open up to me about his past.

  Once he got to know me, he started to open up to me about his past.

• You should open up to your partner instead of keeping everything inside.

  You should open up to your partner instead of keeping everything inside.

• She slowly opened up to her best friend about her struggles at work.

  She slowly opened up to her best friend about her struggles at work.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He finally opened up himself to his brother.

  ✓ He finally opened up to his brother.

  'Open up to' is not reflexive; you do not need to add pronouns like 'himself' or 'myself'.

• ✗ It's healthy to open up on your friends.

  ✓ It's healthy to open up to your friends.

  The preposition after 'open up' must be 'to' when referring to the person you are sharing with.

Related Expressions

Practice

• She rarely talks about her feelings, but she finally decided to ___ her sister.

  💡 Share private thoughts or feelings.

  Show answer

  open up to

• It's hard to trust people enough to ___ them.

  💡 Become vulnerable and share secrets.

  Show answer

  open up to