nationwide
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of nationwide
Explanation
Something nationwide refers to or covers the whole country. A nationwide shortage of wheat would affect everyone in every single state. A gossipy news story about a presidential candidate might cause a nationwide scandal, if everyone in the whole country were talking about it. And if a drought seemed to be spreading nationwide, farmers from Maine to California would start to worry about that year's crops. Nationwide combines nation, from the Latin nationem, "origin" or "race of people," and wide, from its "extending through the whole of" meaning.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A rare snail found in just one lake in the UK started laying eggs on its six-hour journey from Wales to Kent, as a zoo joined a nationwide effort to save the species.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
The nationwide civil disorder that followed his death caused billions of dollars in property damages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
People are scared and supermarket shelves empty nationwide as regional and national supply chains begin to break down.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
That’s higher than in any year since a significant nationwide measles epidemic from 1989 to 1991.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The strike was nationwide, and all her friends were home, even Kayode was home, back on holiday from his American university.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
