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• wide-open
  wide-open

  adjective

  opened to the full extent.
• wide open
  wide open

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

wide-open

American  

[wahyd-oh-puhn] / ˈwaɪdˈoʊ pən /

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.

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wide-open British  

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

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wide open Idioms  

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

2. 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 .

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Etymology

Origin of wide-open

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wide-open wide open

There is some hope for people who remember those old internet communities, as well as the nostalgic youngsters who never knew a more wide-open internet.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

But Simpson got into rhythm on the next series as offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase stuck with calls for play-action and rollouts that resulted in mostly wide-open targets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

But who these actors are playing now is a mystery given the wide-open landscape in which the show exists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Thanks to wide-open spaces, low taxes and abundant energy, the Wyoming capital along Interstate 80 has become a data-center mecca.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Of the four dolphins whose tails supported the shell on which the Triton squatted, the one nearest to Cecilia had its wide-open mouth stopped with moss and algae.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

“At night it’s like a wide open freeway.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

"But overall working conditions here are good, the weather is good, and I like working in the wide, open spaces of Kashmir."

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Kiffin’s designs launched receivers into wide open grass and sent running backs bursting clean through the line of scrimmage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Newcastle cashed in on Liverpool's wide open midfield, a flaw from the last campaign that saw them so vulnerable to fast counter-attacks.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

He was having a great game until he got the ball just beyond the free-throw line, wide open.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Related Words

• lawless
• ungoverned