noun
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the linear extent or measurement of something from side to side, usually being the shortest dimension or (for something fixed) the shortest horizontal dimension
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the state or fact of being wide
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a piece or section of something at its full extent from side to side
a width of cloth
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the distance across a rectangular swimming bath, as opposed to its length
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of width
Explanation
The noun width means the measurement of an object from one side to the other. The width of your twin bed is less than the width of your parents' queen-sized bed. When you're talking about the dimensions of something, specifically how wide it is, you're discussing its width. The width of your backyard might not lend itself to a full croquet court, but you can still play horseshoes back there. And the width of the streets in some Midwestern cities might surprise you if you're used to narrow New England roads. Before the word width gained popularity in the 1620s, people used the now less common wideness instead.
Vocabulary lists containing width
Geometry - Introductory
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Measurement and Data, List 2
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Geometry (Base List)
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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:
A volunteer guard stood watch from within, peering out into the parking lot, scanning for activity, opening the door just one body’s width to let people slide in, or out, as needed.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
On 2 October, they decided to install a net spanning the width of the canal to stop her from returning.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
It is smaller than the width of a human hair by about the same factor that a human hair is smaller than the observable universe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Many people incorrectly interpret the width of the cone as an indication of a storm's physical size, rather than understanding what the graphic is intended to communicate about the uncertainty in its projected track.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
I looked at a table of measurements of white shark teeth with its tall columns of numbers for height, width, and angle.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
But 78% of pedestrian fatalities happen on roads with such widths, the Journal found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
For each material, you can choose among a variety of depths and widths.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
Authorities have been working to send multiple pipes of differing widths through the debris to create a micro-tunnel through which the workers can be brought out.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2023
In their experiments, the team first synthesized single-crystal micropillars of CsPbX3 with diameters and widths ranging from 0.4 to 2 μm and lengths of 3 to 10 μm, using the vapour-liquid-solid method.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2023
They were filled with rolled white threads in many different widths and textures.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
