wide-open
adjective
opened to the full extent.
wide-open
American
[wahyd-oh-puhn]
/ ˈwaɪdˈoʊ pən /
adjective
-
opened to the full extent.
a wide-open window.
-
lacking laws or strict enforcement of laws concerning liquor, vice, gambling, etc..
a wide-open town.
wide-open
British
adjective
-
open to the full extent
-
(postpositive) exposed to attack; vulnerable
-
uncertain as to outcome
-
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
wide open
Idioms
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Unresolved, unsettled, as in The fate of that former colony is still wide open . [Mid-1900s]
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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.
See Examples For:
That resilience has been demonstrated by all four semi-finalists, who have seized their chance in a wide-open draw in Paris.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
After all the buildup, fear and uncertainty, the most wide-open and unpredictable California gubernatorial primary in decades appears to have ended in the most consistent and predictable of ways.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
But he added: “Those undecided have already decided they’re not supporting Bass, so they just have to decide who they’re supporting against Bass. And that’s why it’s a wide-open race right now.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
Over a lightly strummed acoustic guitar, she describes a desire to get off the grid and return to wide-open spaces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
What intrigued me most was how soldiers, clutching wide-open umbrellas, jumped from flying planes and landed on the ground unharmed.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
It was years later when Anderson's uncle, Davis, started talking and according to police, blew the case wide open again.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But it also found that the general election on Nov. 3 is wide open, with most voters undecided.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Is the Premier League due a wide open title race?
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“When you first see it, and it’s fresh, and some of the cuts are still wide open, I mean, it’s jarring — it’s jarring,” Simms said on “PFT Live.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Justin asks, his eyes now wide open in shock.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
