wide

¹

[wahyd]

adjective

wider, widest 

1. having considerable or great extent from side to side; broad.

   a wide boulevard.

   Antonyms: narrow

2. having a certain or specified extent from side to side.

   three feet wide.

3. of great horizontal extent; extensive; vast; spacious.

   the wide plains of the West.

   Synonyms: ample, comprehensive, boundless

4. of great range or scope; embracing a great number or variety of subjects, cases, etc..

   wide experience.

5. open to the full or a great extent; expanded; distended.

   to stare with wide eyes.

6. apart or remote from a specified point or object.

   a guess wide of the truth.

7. too far or too much to one side.

   a shot wide of the mark.

8. Baseball.,  outside.

   The pitch was wide of the plate.

9. full, ample, or roomy, as clothing.

   He wore wide, flowing robes.

10. Phonetics.,  lax.

11. British Slang.,  shrewd; wary.

adverb

1. to the full extent of opening.

   Open your mouth wide.

2. to the utmost, or fully.

   to be wide awake.

3. away from or to one side of a point, mark, purpose, or the like; aside; astray.

   The shot went wide.

4. over an extensive space or region, or far abroad.

   scattered far and wide.

5. to a great, or relatively great, extent from side to side.

   The river runs wide here.

noun

1. Cricket.,  a bowled ball that goes wide of the wicket, and counts as a run for the side batting.

2. Archaic.,  a wide space or expanse.

-wide

²

1. 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.

wide

/ waɪd /

adjective

1. having a great extent from side to side

2. of vast size or scope; spacious or extensive

3. 1. (postpositive) having a specified extent, esp from side to side

      two yards wide

   2. (in combination) covering or extending throughout

      nationwide

4. distant or remote from the desired point, mark, etc

   your guess is wide of the mark

5. (of eyes) opened fully

6. loose, full, or roomy

   wide trousers

7. exhibiting a considerable spread, as between certain limits

   a wide variation

8. phonetics another word for lax open

adverb

1. over an extensive area

   to travel far and wide

2. to the full extent

   he opened the door wide

3. far from the desired point, mark, etc

noun

1. (in cricket) a bowled ball that is outside the batsman's reach and scores a run for the batting side

2. archaic,  a wide space or extent

3. completely

Other Word Forms

• widely adverb
• widish adjective
• wideness noun
• overwide adjective
• overwidely adverb
• overwideness noun
• superwide adjective
• ultrawide adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wide¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English wīd; cognate with Dutch wijd, German weit, Old Norse vīthr

Word History and Origins

Origin of wide¹

Old English wīd; related to Old Norse vīthr, Old High German wīt

Idioms and Phrases

• 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

Synonym Study

Wide, broad refer to dimensions. They are often interchangeable, but wide especially applies to things of which the length is much greater than the width: a wide road, piece of ribbon. Broad is more emphatic, and applies to things of considerable or great width, breadth, or extent, especially to surfaces extending laterally: a broad valley.

Example Sentences

The vote came amid a wider debate over the Democratic Party’s approach to Israel, and whether recent actions represent a genuine shift in policy thinking, as opposed to a temporary, tactical adjustment to current circumstances.

From Salon

It feels like he is going much wider, seeking to draw a line and move the conversation on.

From BBC

Such vaccines could induce broader immunity than whole-virus vaccines by eliciting antibody and T-cell responses that target an even wider range of flu viruses.

From Salon

Does the prime minister want to do a wider reshuffle at the same time?

From BBC

"I am shocked at how blatant the sale of these drugs is on social media and the wide availability, particularly targeting platforms used by young people."

From BBC

Related Words

• ample 
• broad 
• deep 
• expanded 
• extensive 
• far-reaching 
• full 
• immense 
• large 
• loose 
• spacious 
• vast 

When To Use

What does -wide mean?

The combining form -wide is used like a suffix meaning “wide,” in the sense of "throughout" or "in or to every part of." It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms.The form -wide comes from Old English wīd, meaning “wide.”