wide
having considerable or great extent from side to side; broad: a wide boulevard.
having a certain or specified extent from side to side: three feet wide.
of great horizontal extent; extensive; vast; spacious: the wide plains of the West.
of great range or scope; embracing a great number or variety of subjects, cases, etc.: wide experience.
open to the full or a great extent; expanded; distended: to stare with wide eyes.
apart or remote from a specified point or object: a guess wide of the truth.
too far or too much to one side: a shot wide of the mark.
Baseball. outside (def. 16):The pitch was wide of the plate.
full, ample, or roomy, as clothing: He wore wide, flowing robes.
Phonetics. lax1 (def. 7).
British Slang. shrewd; wary.
to the full extent of opening: Open your mouth wide.
to the utmost, or fully: to be wide awake.
away from or to one side of a point, mark, purpose, or the like; aside; astray: The shot went wide.
over an extensive space or region, or far abroad: scattered far and wide.
to a great, or relatively great, extent from side to side: The river runs wide here.
Cricket. a bowled ball that goes wide of the wicket, and counts as a run for the side batting.
Archaic. a wide space or expanse.
Origin of wide
1synonym study For wide
Other words for wide
Opposites for wide
Other words from wide
- wideness, noun
- o·ver·wide, adjective
- o·ver·wide·ly, adverb
- o·ver·wide·ness, noun
- su·per·wide, adjective
- ul·tra·wide, adjective
Other definitions for -wide (2 of 2)
a combining form of wide, forming from nouns adjectives with the general sense “extending or applying throughout a given space,” as specified by the noun: communitywide; countrywide; worldwide.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wide in a sentence
This mindset was reflected to the wider society through popular literature.
In wearing it, Hurley helped originate a wider revolution, too.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress | Tim Teeman | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd there were much wider protests later in 2012 after the anti-Islam movie trailer, “Innocence of Muslims,” appeared on YouTube.
Why the Muslim World Isn’t Flipping Out Over the CIA Torture Report | Dean Obeidallah | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe added that The Post, a national brand which had long been “a local product,” will now focus on reaching a wider audience.
Jeff Bezos: ‘I See Millions Working in Outer Space’ | Lloyd Grove | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt just showed me there was a much wider world, and a lot of ways to look at things.
James Patterson Goes Full ‘Fahrenheit 451’ With Burning Book Video | William O’Connor | November 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The other opened the door wider and at once bowed him in with a smile of genuine welcome.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon BlackwoodIn length there was no alteration, but the design seems more condensed, more compact, yet slightly wider in the opening.
Antonio Stradivari | Horace William PetherickThe point where we stood—a huddled, shivering group—faced the wider channels that led to the open sea and Finland.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon BlackwoodThe scale was vaster, horizons wider, beauty and wonder walked hand in hand with love and death.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodThey were rowing down the channel of the wider portion of the creek towards Isabel's landing, their boat filled with spoil.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
British Dictionary definitions for wide
/ (waɪd) /
having a great extent from side to side
of vast size or scope; spacious or extensive
(postpositive) having a specified extent, esp from side to side: two yards wide
(in combination) covering or extending throughout: nationwide
distant or remote from the desired point, mark, etc: your guess is wide of the mark
(of eyes) opened fully
loose, full, or roomy: wide trousers
exhibiting a considerable spread, as between certain limits: a wide variation
phonetics another word for lax (def. 4), open (def. 34)
over an extensive area: to travel far and wide
to the full extent: he opened the door wide
far from the desired point, mark, etc
(in cricket) a bowled ball that is outside the batsman's reach and scores a run for the batting side
archaic, or poetic a wide space or extent
to the wide completely
Origin of wide
1Derived forms of wide
- widely, adverb
- wideness, noun
- widish, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with wide
In addition to the idioms beginning with wide
- wide awake
- wide open
also see:
- all wool and a yard wide
- cut a wide swath
- far and wide
- give a wide berth to
- lay (oneself wide) open
- leave (wide) open
- off (wide of) the mark
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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