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.
The nationwide tour was one of Wasserman’s earliest plans for the relay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Supporters argue that nationwide rules are needed to replace a patchwork of state laws and repeated litigation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Elizabeth Moselakgomo was the sixth woman to be found, after a highly publicised nationwide search for her.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
These are nationwide prices, rather than those locally.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
After the meeting, a network of two thousand women set off on a nationwide mission to collect signatures on a petition urging Congress to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
