Meanings
- idiomaticWith enthusiasm, as if embracing.
There once was a time / I was down on my luck and I needed a friend / and there you were with open arms / and you took me in
1977, True Example, “Love Is Finally Coming My Way”2 more examples
Night after lonely night, we meet in dreams / As I run to your side / You wait with open arms, open arms / That now are closed to me / Through a veil of tears / Your vision disappears / And I'm as blue as I can be
1963, Bobby Vinton, “Blue on Blue”, in Blue on BlueWell, I've made so many new friends / With open arms they let me in / They say they'll be with me till the end / They say they'll stick through thick and thin
2012, Saint Motel, chapter 1997, in VoyeurSynonyms: with arms wide open
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseWith enthusiasm, as if embracing.
Translations
Dutch met open armen
- met open armenwith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Finnish avosylin
- avosylinwith enthusiasm, as if embracing
French à bras ouverts
- à bras ouvertswith enthusiasm, as if embracing
German mit offenen Armen
- mit offenen Armenwith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Greek με ανοιχτές αγκάλες
- με ανοιχτές αγκάλες (me anoichtés agkáles)with enthusiasm, as if embracing
Hungarian tárt karokkal
- tárt karokkalwith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Italian a braccia aperte
- a braccia apertewith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Polish z otwartymi ramionami, z otwartym sercem
- z otwartymi ramionamiwith enthusiasm, as if embracing
- z otwartym sercemwith enthusiasm, as if embracing
- z otwartymi rękomawith enthusiasm, as if embracing
- z otwartymi rękamiwith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Portuguese de braços abertos
- de braços abertoswith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Romanian cu brațele deschise
- cu brațele deschisewith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Russian с распростёртыми объя́тиями
- с распростёртыми объя́тиями (s rasprostjórtymi obʺjátijami)with enthusiasm, as if embracing
Spanish con los brazos abiertos
- con los brazos abiertoswith enthusiasm, as if embracing
Cite this entry
with open arms. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/with%20open%20arms
“with open arms.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/with%20open%20arms. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “with open arms,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/with%20open%20arms.
Source: with open arms on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.