wide-open
[ wahyd-oh-puhn ]
/ ˈwaɪdˈoʊ pən /
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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.
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Origin of wide-open
First recorded in 1850–55
Words nearby wide-open
widely, Wideman, widemouth blindcat, widemouthed, widen, wide-open, wide-ranging, wide receiver, wide-screen, widespread, wide-spreading
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for wide-open
British Dictionary definitions for wide-open
wide-open
adjective (wide open when postpositive)
open to the full extent
(postpositive) exposed to attack; vulnerable
uncertain as to outcome
US 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
Idioms and Phrases with wide-open
wide open
Unresolved, unsettled, as in The fate of that former colony is still wide open. [Mid-1900s]
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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.