open the range

verb

To draw oneself or one's vehicles (warships, tanks, aircraft, etc.) out of range of the enemy's fire.

“Even after receiving the order to withdraw, the battle-cruiser squadron took several more hits before they managed to open the range.”

Opposite
close the range
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Meanings

verbopen the range (third-person singular simple present opens the range, present participle opening the range, simple past and past participle opened the range)

present singular third person opens the range · participle present opening the range · participle past opened the range · past opened the range

  1. governmentTo draw oneself or one's vehicles (warships, tanks, aircraft, etc.) out of range of the enemy's fire.

    Even after receiving the order to withdraw, the battle-cruiser squadron took several more hits before they managed to open the range.

    1 more example

    In the confusion, Johnston manages another about-face and heads away to open the range, with its torpedoes spent.

    2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 18:40 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2022

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
close the range
Cite this entry
APA

open the range. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20range

MLA

“open the range.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20range. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “open the range,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20the%20range.

Source: open the range on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.