broad

¹

[brawd]

adjective

broader, broadest 

1. of great breadth.

   The river was too broad to swim across.

   Antonyms: narrow

2. measured from side to side.

   The desk was three feet broad.

3. of great extent; large.

   the broad expanse of ocean.

   Synonyms: vast, ample, extensive

4. wide-open; full.

   We awoke to broad daylight.

5. not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope.

   A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.

   Synonyms: open, wide, extensive

6. liberal; tolerant.

   A broad interpretation of the law tempers justice with mercy.

7. main or general.

   the broad outlines of a subject.

8. plain or clear.

   Her remark was a broad hint of her feelings.

9. outspoken; plain-spoken.

10. indelicate; indecent.

    He smirked at the broad joke.

    Synonyms: gross

11. (of conversation) rough; countrified.

12. unconfined; unbridled; unrestrained;

    It was a hilarious evening of broad mirth.

13. (of pronunciation) strongly dialectal.

    He wore kilts and had a broad Scots accent.

14. Phonetics.,  (of a transcription) using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme.

15. broad a, the a- sound when used in lieu of the more common a- sound in such words as half, can't, and laugh.

adverb

1. fully.

   He was broad awake.

noun

1. the broad part of anything.

2. Slang.

   1. Usually Offensive.,  a term used to refer to a woman.

   2. a promiscuous woman.

3. Movies, Television.,  Often broads. an incandescent or fluorescent lamp used as a general source of light in a studio.

4. a gold coin of England and Scotland, issued by James I and Charles I and equal to 20 shillings.

Broad

²

[brawd]

noun

1. C(harlie) D(unbar), 1887–1971, English philosopher.

broad

/ brɔːd /

adjective

1. having relatively great breadth or width

2. of vast extent; spacious

   a broad plain

3. (postpositive) from one side to the other

   four miles broad

4. of great scope or potential

   that invention had broad applications

5. not detailed; general

   broad plans

6. clear and open; full (esp in the phrase broad daylight )

7. obvious or plain

   broad hints

8. liberal; tolerant

   a broad political stance

9. widely spread; extensive

   broad support

10. outspoken or bold

    a broad manner

11. vulgar; coarse; indecent

    a broad joke

12. unrestrained; free

    broad laughter

13. (of a dialect or pronunciation) consisting of a large number of speech sounds characteristic of a particular geographical area

    a broad Yorkshire accent

14. 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 Compare narrow

    broad money

15. phonetics

    1. of or relating to a type of pronunciation transcription in which symbols correspond approximately to phonemes without taking account of allophonic variations

    2. the long vowel in English words such as father , half , as represented in the received pronunciation of Southern British English

16. amounting to the same thing; without advantage either way

noun

1. the broad part of something

2. slang

   1. a girl or woman

   2. a prostitute

3. dialect,  a river spreading over a lowland See also Broads

4. dialect,  a shallow lake

5. a wood-turning tool used for shaping the insides and bottoms of cylinders

adverb

1. widely or fully

   broad awake

Sensitive Note

When used to refer to a woman, broad is usually perceived as insulting. The meaning “promiscuous woman” is probably the earlier sense.

Other Word Forms

• broadly adverb
• broadness noun
• broadish adjective
• overbroad adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of broad¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bro(a)d, Old English brād; cognate with Dutch breed, German breit, Old Norse breithr, Gothic braiths

Word History and Origins

Origin of broad¹

Old English brād ; related to Old Norse breithr , Old Frisian brēd , Old High German breit , Gothic braiths

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. broad on the quarter, bearing 135° to the heading of a vessel.

2. broad on the bow, bearing 45° to the heading of a vessel.

3. broad on the beam, bearing 90° to the heading of a vessel.

More idioms and phrases containing broad

• can't hit the broad side of a barn

Synonym Study

See wide.

Example Sentences

“China’s export controls are not export bans,” the ministry said, while adding the new rule was intended to target military end-uses, not the broader civilian applications that have rattled global markets.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Last year an area of the world's forests larger than Scotland was cleared primarily to make way for agriculture, according to an annual deforestation assessment by a broad global coalition of researchers and activists.

Read more on Barron's

No other living politician could have reassured Israel, threatened Hamas and patched together a broad Arab coalition the way he has done.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She said the Fed would need to keep a close eye on the interaction between artificial-intelligence hype, the stock market and the broader economy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The protests erupted in September, initially focused on chronic power and water cuts in the impoverished country but developed into a broader anti-government movement that called for 51-year-old Rajoelina to resign.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• comprehensive 
• expansive 
• extensive 
• far-reaching 
• sweeping 
• universal 
• wide 
• wide-ranging