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broad

 - 7 dictionary results
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broad

  [brawd] adjective, -er, -est, adverb, noun
Use broad in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of great breadth: The river was too broad to swim across.
2. measured from side to side: The desk was three feet broad.
3. of great extent; large: the broad expanse of ocean.
4. widely diffused; open; full: We awoke to broad daylight.
5. not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope: A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.
6. liberal; tolerant: A broad interpretation of the law tempers justice with mercy.
7. main or general: the broad outlines of a subject.
8. plain or clear: Her remark was a broad hint of her feelings.
9. bold; plain-spoken.
10. indelicate; indecent: He smirked at the broad joke.
11. (of conversation) rough; countrified.
12. unconfined; free; unrestrained: It was a hilarious evening of broad mirth.
13. (of pronunciation) strongly dialectal: He wore kilts and had a broad Scots accent.
14. Phonetics. (of a transcription) using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme.
15. broad a, the a-sound [ah] when used in lieu of the more common a-sound [a] in such words as half, can't, and laugh.
–adverb
16. fully: He was broad awake.
–noun
17. the broad part of anything.
18. Slang.
a. Usually Offensive. a woman.
b. a promiscuous woman.
19. Often, broads. Movies, Television. an incandescent or fluorescent lamp used as a general source of light in a studio.
20. a gold coin of England and Scotland, issued by James I and Charles I and equal to 20 shillings. Compare carolus, jacobus.
—Idioms
21. broad on the beam, Nautical. bearing 90° to the heading of a vessel.
22. broad on the bow, Nautical. bearing 45° to the heading of a vessel.
23. broad on the quarter, Nautical. bearing 135° to the heading of a vessel.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME bro(o)d, OE brād; c. D breed, G breit, ON breithr, Goth braiths

Related forms:
broadish, adjective
broadly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. See wide. 3. extensive, ample, vast. 5. liberal, open. 10. gross.

Antonyms:
1. narrow.
Broadway Shows
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Broad

  [brawd]
–noun
C(harlie) D(unbar), 1887–1971, English philosopher.

Broad River

 
–noun
a river in W North Carolina, flowing S to join the Saluda River, forming the Congaree River in South Carolina. 150 mi. (241 km) long.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To broad
broad   (brôd)   
adj.   broad·er, broad·est

  1. Wide in extent from side to side: a broad river; broad shoulders.

  2. Large in expanse; spacious: a broad lawn.

  3. Having a certain width from side to side: A sidewalk three feet broad.

  4. Full; open: broad daylight.

  5. Covering a wide scope; general: a broad rule.

  6. Liberal; tolerant: had broad views regarding social services. See Synonyms at broad-minded.

  7. Relating to or covering the main facts or the essential points.

  8. Plain and clear; obvious: gave us a broad hint to leave.

  9. Obsolete Outspoken.

  10. Vulgar; ribald: a broad joke.

  11. Strikingly regional or dialectal: a broad Southern accent.

  12. Linguistics Pronounced with the tongue placed low and flat and with the oral cavity wide open, like the a in father.

n.  

  1. A wide flat part, as of one's hand.

  2. Often Offensive Slang A woman or girl.

adv.  Fully; completely.

[Middle English brod, from Old English brād.]
broad'ly adv., broad'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
broad

  1. n.
    a woman. (Originally underworld slang. Often jocular. Usually considered rude and derogatory.) : When is that broad gonna show up?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

broad 
O.E. brad, from P.Gmc. *braithaz (cf. O.Fris. bred, O.N. breiðr, Du. breed, Ger. breit, Goth. brouþs), of unknown origin. Not found outside Gmc. languages. Slang extension to meaning "woman" (1911) may be suggestive of broad hips, but it also may trace to Amer.Eng. abroadwife, for a woman away from her husband, often a slave. Earliest use suggests immorality or coarse, low-class women. Because of this negative association, and the rise of women in athletics, the track and field broad jump was changed to the long jump c. 1967. Broadside (nautical), 1591, "the side of a ship above the water, between the bow and the quarter." Broadcast, originally "scattering seed" (1767), applied to radio waves 1921. Broadsword is O.E. brad swurd. There was a street named Broadway in many towns; the allusive use for "New York theater district" is first recorded 1881.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

broad

In addition to the idioms beginning with broad, also see can't hit the broad side of a barn.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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