wide

[ wahyd ]

/ waɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wide ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, wid·er, wid·est.

having considerable or great extent from side to side; broad: a wide boulevard.

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.

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(def 16): The pitch was wide of the plate.

full, ample, or roomy, as clothing: He wore wide, flowing robes.

Phonetics. lax(def 7).

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.

Nearby words

widal test, widder, widdershins, widdle, widdy, wide, wide area network, wide awake, wide boy, wide open, wide receiver

Origin of wide

before 900; Middle English; Old English wīd; cognate with Dutch wijd, German weit, Old Norse vīthr

SYNONYMS FOR wide

1 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.

3 boundless; comprehensive; ample.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wide ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR wide

1 narrow.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR wide ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

wide·ness, nouno·ver·wide, adjectiveo·ver·wide·ly, adverbo·ver·wide·ness, noun

su·per·wide, adjectiveul·tra·wide, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for wider

This mindset was reflected to the wider society through popular literature.
The French Court’s Royal Ban on Smiles|William O’Connor|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In wearing it, Hurley helped originate a wider revolution, too.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress|Tim Teeman|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He added that The Post, a national brand which had long been “a local product,” will now focus on reaching a wider audience.
Jeff Bezos: ‘I See Millions Working in Outer Space’|Lloyd Grove|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Girma realized that law was her best tool to get equal footing for herself and the wider population of impaired Americans.
TEDx Talks Have a Disability Problem—but This Incredible Young Woman Is Working to Change That|Nina Strochlic|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

SARS, on the other hand, had a wider global reach than Ebola.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their usefulness may be regarded as a warrant of a wider adoption of them.
The High School Failures|Francis P. Obrien
It was a wider passage than that which she was leaving, and this fact added to her dismay.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No. 6, December 1864|Various
It should be noted that the front of the chair is wider than the back.
Mission Furniture|H. H. Windsor
The words of Dionysius need not receive any wider signification than a reference to well-known Epistles.
Supernatural Religion, Vol. II. (of III)|Walter Richard Cassels
Its mouth was wider, and the nose less prominent than that of the gorilla.
In the Wilds of Africa|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for wider

wide

/ (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 sidetwo yards wide
(in combination) covering or extending throughoutnationwide

distant or remote from the desired point, mark, etcyour guess is wide of the mark

(of eyes) opened fully

loose, full, or roomywide trousers

exhibiting a considerable spread, as between certain limitsa wide variation

phonetics another word for lax (def. 4), open (def. 34)

adverb

over an extensive areato travel far and wide

to the full extenthe 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, or poetic a wide space or extent

to the wide completely

Derived Forms

widely, adverbwideness, nounwidish, adjective

Word Origin for wide

Old English wīd; related to Old Norse vīthr, Old High German wīt

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 wider

wide

In addition to the idioms beginning with wide

wide awake
wide open

also see:

all wool and a yard wide
cut a wide swath
far and wide
give a wide berth to
lay (oneself wide) open
leave (wide) open
off (wide of) the mark