wide

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.”

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –wide is worldwide, “extending or spread throughout the world.”

The world– part of the word here means “the earth or globe.” The form –wide means “throughout.” Worldwide literally means “throughout the earth.”

What are some words that use the combining form –wide?

• citywide
• countrywide
• nationwide
• statewide
• storewide

What are some other forms that –wide may be commonly confused with?

• -ward
• -wise

Not every word that ends with the exact letters –wide, such as double-wide, is necessarily using the combining form –wide to denote “throughout.” Learn why double-wide means “twice as wide” at our entry for the word.

Given the meaning of the combining form –wide, what does storewide literally mean?