wide
adjective
having considerable or great extent from side to side; broad.
wide
1 American
[wahyd]
/ waɪd /
adjective
-
wider,
comparative
-
widest
superlative
-
having considerable or great extent from side to side; broad.
a wide boulevard.
- Antonyms:
- narrow
-
having a certain or specified extent from side to side.
three feet wide.
-
of great horizontal extent; extensive; vast; spacious.
the wide plains of the West.
- Synonyms:
- ample, comprehensive, boundless
-
of great range or scope; embracing a great number or variety of subjects, cases, etc..
wide experience.
-
open to the full or a great extent; expanded; distended.
to stare with wide eyes.
-
apart or remote from a specified point or object.
a guess wide of the truth.
-
too far or too much to one side.
a shot wide of the mark.
-
Baseball. outside.
The pitch was wide of the plate.
-
full, ample, or roomy, as clothing.
He wore wide, flowing robes.
-
Phonetics. lax.
-
British Slang. shrewd; wary.
adverb
-
to the full extent of opening.
Open your mouth wide.
-
to the utmost, or fully.
to be wide awake.
-
away from or to one side of a point, mark, purpose, or the like; aside; astray.
The shot went wide.
-
over an extensive space or region, or far abroad.
scattered far and wide.
-
to a great, or relatively great, extent from side to side.
The river runs wide here.
noun
-
Cricket. a bowled ball that goes wide of the wicket, and counts as a run for the side batting.
-
Archaic. a wide space or expanse.
-wide
2
American
wide
British
/ waɪd /
adjective
-
having a great extent from side to side
-
of vast size or scope; spacious or extensive
-
-
(postpositive) having a specified extent, esp from side to side
two yards wide
-
(in combination) covering or extending throughout
nationwide
-
-
distant or remote from the desired point, mark, etc
your guess is wide of the mark
-
(of eyes) opened fully
-
loose, full, or roomy
wide trousers
-
exhibiting a considerable spread, as between certain limits
a wide variation
adverb
-
over an extensive area
to travel far and wide
-
to the full extent
he opened the door wide
-
far from the desired point, mark, etc
noun
-
(in cricket) a bowled ball that is outside the batsman's reach and scores a run for the batting side
-
archaic a wide space or extent
-
completely
wide
Idioms
Usage
What does -wide mean? The combining form -wide is used like a suffix meaning “wide,” in the sense of "throughout" or "in or to every part of." It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms. The form -wide comes from Old English wīd, meaning “wide.”
Synonym Usage
Wide, broad refer to dimensions. They are often interchangeable, but wide especially applies to things of which the length is much greater than the width: a wide road, piece of ribbon. Broad is more emphatic, and applies to things of considerable or great width, breadth, or extent, especially to surfaces extending laterally: a broad valley.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
overwidenessnoun
-
widenessnoun
-
overwideadjective
-
superwideadjective
-
ultrawideadjective
-
widishadjective
-
overwidelyadverb
-
widelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of wide
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English wīd; cognate with Dutch wijd, German weit, Old Norse vīthr
Explanation
The word wide describes something that stretches across a great distance, like a smile that beams from ear to ear, or the open arms of a friend about to give you a big hug. Wide is an adjective that describes both physical spaces and ideas. A hallway with plenty of room for everyone to walk through can be called wide. If a dinner party has lots of different foods to pick from, you could say there’s a wide selection of dishes. A situation with many possible outcomes might have a wide range of results. Whether it's about space or variety, the word wide is all about having plenty of room.
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.
See Examples For:
Perhaps his biggest feat — and one that wasn’t called back — came when he threw out of the end zone and connected with wide receiver Quentin Hale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
His fellow Frenchman and PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola remains Liverpool's main target as they look to strengthen in the wide attacking areas before the transfer window concludes.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The pollen recovered from Ilovik-Paržine 1 pointed to a wide range of environments.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
That still trails American titans by a wide margin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
But I was wide awake, so I noticed a random moonbeam strike the doorknob as it began to turn.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Trail mix: Grab your plastic bib and wooden mallet for the miles-long and -wide sealife buffet.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 4, 2019
The foot-tall and -wide tender perennial from South Africa had attractive purplish buds, but the narrow green leaves were slightly weedy-looking.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 5, 2017
Although the study focused on just one nucleus, the researchers say the findings could improve nuclear models across a much wider range of elements and reactions.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
Some brands are now trying to simultaneously engage looksmaxxers and a wider pool of consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
On Aug. 6, while Jackie was in critical care, KD1 first appeared on cameras operated by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, which capture Shadow’s nest and wider habitat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The problem for bulls is that to support the wider market, Nvidia may need to break a disappointing trend, according to the team at Bespoke Investment.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Yes. My friend Annie is always meddlin’ in my business,” says Miz Ida, opening the door wider to show two garbage bags sitting there.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
Many of the roads covered by the ban are the widest in the old town and are popular with delivery drivers.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Protecting houses of worship was work I helped begin under New York Mayor Eric Adams, and I understand the nuances of crafting legislation that can win the widest support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Give your eyes around 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness and look towards the widest unobstructed area of sky possible.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
This marks the planet's widest visible separation from the Sun during its current appearance in the evening sky.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
I found the widest flathead screwdriver and then stuck it in the waistband of my khaki shorts, cinching my belt tight.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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.
