wide-open

[ wahyd-oh-puh n ]

/ ˈwaɪdˈoʊ pən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wide-open ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

licentious, wild

Nearby words

Origin of wide-open

First recorded in 1850–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wide-open

Can you make it in a wide-open market in which consumers have loads of options?
Yes We Can Still Market: Why U.S. Brands Remain World’s Most Valuable|Daniel Gross|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The ball then swung to a wide-open Chris Bosh for a corner three that gave Miami the lead for good.
LeBron James Is a Better Leader Than Michael Jordan Ever Was|Robert Silverman|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The wide-open Nebraskan landscape is endowed with a raw grace.
Death in the Heartland: What Happened to Steven Haataja?|Tim Teeman|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She cites a Baltimore Sun editorial about this still being a “wide-open race.”
Could a Pro-Pot Lesbian Become the Next Governor of Maryland?|Jim Newell|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In the wide-open expanses of the American West, where livestock outnumber Democrats, William Bryk has found a home.
Brooklyn’s Lazy Carpetbagger Sets His Sights on an Alaska Senate Seat|David Freedlander|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Eden surveyed the detective with wide-open, innocent blue eyes in which there dwelt hurt reproach.
The Grell Mystery|Frank Froest
"Old customs are very interesting," said Diana, staring at the Principal with wide-open, steady eyes.
A harum-scarum schoolgirl|Angela Brazil
Her straining, wide-open eyes seemed to be seeing those sunny spots in the meadow.
Wayside Courtships|Hamlin Garland
Her eyes were on him all the time, wide-open and trying to grasp him.
The Rainbow|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
Turning away, he looked about him with wide-open and questioning eyes, like a child lost in a wood.
The Forsaken Inn|Anna Katharine Green

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

wide-open

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of wide-open

Examples from the Web for wide-open

wide-open

adjective (wide open when postpositive)