broad
of great breadth: The river was too broad to swim across.
measured from side to side: The desk was three feet broad.
of great extent; large: the broad expanse of ocean.
not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope: A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.
main or general: the broad outlines of a subject.
plain or clear: Her remark was a broad hint of her feelings.
indelicate; indecent: He smirked at the broad joke.
(of conversation) rough; countrified.
unconfined; unbridled; unrestrained; It was a hilarious evening of broad mirth.
(of pronunciation) strongly dialectal: He wore kilts and had a broad Scots accent.
Phonetics. (of a transcription) using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme.
broad a, the a-sound [ah] /ɑ/ when used in lieu of the more common a-sound [a] /æ/ in such words as half, can't, and laugh.
fully: He was broad awake.
the broad part of anything.
Slang.
Usually Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman.
a promiscuous woman.
Idioms about broad
broad on the beam, Nautical. bearing 90° to the heading of a vessel.
broad on the bow, Nautical. bearing 45° to the heading of a vessel.
broad on the quarter, Nautical. bearing 135° to the heading of a vessel.
Origin of broad
1synonym study For broad
usage note For broad
Other words for broad
Opposites for broad
Other words from broad
- broad·ish, adjective
- broad·ly, adverb
- o·ver·broad, adjective
Other definitions for Broad (2 of 2)
C(harlie) D(unbar), 1887–1971, English philosopher.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for broad (1 of 2)
/ (brɔːd) /
having relatively great breadth or width
of vast extent; spacious: a broad plain
(postpositive) from one side to the other: four miles broad
of great scope or potential: that invention had broad applications
not detailed; general: broad plans
clear and open; full (esp in the phrase broad daylight)
obvious or plain: broad hints
liberal; tolerant: a broad political stance
widely spread; extensive: broad support
outspoken or bold: a broad manner
vulgar; coarse; indecent: a broad joke
unrestrained; free: broad laughter
(of a dialect or pronunciation) consisting of a large number of speech sounds characteristic of a particular geographical area: a broad Yorkshire accent
finance denoting an assessment of liquidity as including notes and coin in circulation with the public, banks' till money and balances, most private-sector bank deposits, and sterling bank-deposit certificates: broad money Compare narrow (def. 7)
phonetics
of or relating to a type of pronunciation transcription in which symbols correspond approximately to phonemes without taking account of allophonic variations
broad a the long vowel in English words such as father, half, as represented in the received pronunciation of Southern British English
as broad as it is long amounting to the same thing; without advantage either way
the broad part of something
slang, mainly US and Canadian
a girl or woman
a prostitute
British dialect a river spreading over a lowland: See also Broads
East Anglian dialect a shallow lake
a wood-turning tool used for shaping the insides and bottoms of cylinders
widely or fully: broad awake
Origin of broad
1Derived forms of broad
- broadly, adverb
- broadness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for B-road (2 of 2)
(in Britain) a secondary road
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with broad
In addition to the idioms beginning with broad
- broad daylight
- broad in the beam
- broad shoulders, have
also see:
- can't hit the broad side of a barn
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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