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wide-open

American  
[wahyd-oh-puhn] / ˈwaɪdˈoʊ pən /

adjective

  1. opened to the full extent.

    a wide-open window.

  2. lacking laws or strict enforcement of laws concerning liquor, vice, gambling, etc..

    a wide-open town.
wide-open British  

adjective

  1. open to the full extent

  2. (postpositive) exposed to attack; vulnerable

  3. uncertain as to outcome

  4. informal (of a town or city) lax in the enforcement of certain laws, esp those relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol, gambling, the control of vice, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
wide open Idioms  

  1. Unresolved, unsettled, as in The fate of that former colony is still wide open . [Mid-1900s]

  2. Unprotected or vulnerable, as in That remark about immigrants left him wide open to hostile criticism . This expression originated in boxing, where it signifies being off one's guard and open to an opponent's punches. It began to be used more broadly about 1940. Also see leave open .

Etymology

Origin of wide-open

First recorded in 1850–55

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 wide-open landscape is suitable for solar and wind farms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Paul Thomas Anderson’s film leads a wide-open field as the Globes offer an early read on an unsettled Oscar season.

From Los Angeles Times

Paul Thomas Anderson’s film leads a wide-open field as the Globes offer an early read on an unsettled Oscar season.

From Los Angeles Times

Penelope lay in the dark with her eyes wide-open.

From Literature

“Whether it is a nuthatch or a warbler is perhaps a matter for debate,” Penelope said briskly as she shut the wide-open nursery windows and fastened the latch for good measure.

From Literature

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.