breadth

American  

[bredth, bretth, breth] / brɛdθ, brɛtθ, brɛθ /

noun

• breadths
  plural

1. the measure of the second largest dimension of a plane or solid figure; width.

2. an extent or piece of something of definite or full width or as measured by its width.

   a breadth of cloth.

3. freedom from narrowness or restraint; liberality.

   a person with great breadth of view.

   Synonyms:

   open-mindedness, impartiality, latitude

4. size in general; extent.

   Synonyms:

   compass, reach, range, scope, span

5. Art. a broad or general effect due to subordination of details or nonessentials.

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breadth British  

/ brɛtθ, brɛdθ /

noun

1. the linear extent or measurement of something from side to side; width

2. a piece of fabric having a standard or definite width

3. distance, extent, size, or dimension

4. openness and lack of restriction, esp of viewpoint or interest; liberality

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• breadthless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• breadths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of breadth

1515–25; earlier bredeth, equivalent to brede breadth ( Middle English; Old English brǣdu, equivalent to brǣd-, mutated variant of brād broad + -u noun suffix) + -th ¹ ( def. ) akin to German Breite, Gothic braidei

Explanation

If you measure the distance of an object from side to side, you are measuring the object’s breadth: “Theodore measured the breadth of the table before buying it to make sure it would fit in his small kitchen.” Breadth often refers to a physical measurement, but it can also be used to describe comprehensiveness or largeness of any kind, such as breadth of knowledge or breadth of experience. In the famous sentence describing Macedonian king Alexander the Great, the word breadth is used to indicate the vastness of Alexander’s empire: “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breadth breadths

The rare docuseries that’s too short, each episode favors breadth over depth but does reveal how sports increasingly intersected with American culture and politics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The U.S. still dominates these trends, but it’s clear that breadth is increasing with the share of non-U.S. tech M&A jumping from 42% in 2016 to 76% last year.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

“Partnering too closely with a more niche retailer like GameStop could limit the perceived breadth of eBay’s marketplace or create friction with sellers and customers who don’t see much relevance in the partnership.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

This is because “Shopify’s pace of innovation, breadth of features, reliability, scalability, and extensibility are superior to free tools,” according to the analysts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

A look from Mrs. Coulter, and he let go and moved back a hand’s breadth.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

John B. Read’s lighting now makes less marvelous effects from the depths and breadths of the Met stage.

From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2014

Meg, who went shopping in the afternoon and got a ‘sweet blue muslin’, had discovered, after she had cut the breadths off, that it wouldn’t wash, which mishap made her slightly cross.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

At concerts, many dresses are seen either with flounces or apron-shaped fronts; that is to say, the front breadth has a much richer pattern, and different from the other breadths of the skirt.

From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851 by Various

Still, in secret, I I clung to the hope of one day traversing the lengths and breadths and depths and heights of the world of science.

From Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders Cogitations and Confessions of an Aged Physician by William A. (William Andrus) Alcott

Suppose we could see the London milliners' bills, simply for unnecessary breadths of slip and flounce, from April to July; I wonder whether £14,000 would cover them.

From Unto This Last and Other Essays on Political Economy by John Ruskin

Related Words

• comprehensiveness
• dimension
• fullness
• magnitude
• range
• scale
• scope
• size