wide-open

[wahyd-oh-puhn]

adjective

1. opened to the full extent.

   a wide-open window.

2. lacking laws or strict enforcement of laws concerning liquor, vice, gambling, etc..

   a wide-open town.

wide-open

adjective

1. open to the full extent

2. (postpositive) exposed to attack; vulnerable

3. uncertain as to outcome

4. informal,  (of a town or city) lax in the enforcement of certain laws, esp those relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol, gambling, the control of vice, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of wide open¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Idioms and Phrases

Unresolved, unsettled, as in The fate of that former colony is still wide open . [Mid-1900s]

Unprotected or vulnerable, as in That remark about immigrants left him wide open to hostile criticism . This expression originated in boxing, where it signifies being off one's guard and open to an opponent's punches. It began to be used more broadly about 1940. Also see leave open .

Example Sentences

A video shared with The Times shows at least eight Border Patrol agents as they passed the van, its side door wide-open.

From Los Angeles Times

Our big, warm climate and our wide-open spaces made possible something that earned its own genre: mimetic architecture, whimsical buildings that look like something else, often the thing that they sell.

From Los Angeles Times

With such a wide-open field, factors such as endorsements and communication strategies will be important to watch, experts said.

From Los Angeles Times

The promise of starting a whole new life — in a whole new place, with winter sunshine and wide-open space — lured many to Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

MacArthur Park has a sizable undocumented immigrant population, and a lot of big problems to tackle — homelessness, a wide-open drug trade and gang activity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lawless 
• ungoverned www.thesaurus.com