Something that is wide measures a large distance from one side or edge to the other.
All worktops should be wide enough to allow plenty of space for food preparation.
...a wide-brimmed sunhat.
Synonyms: spacious, broad, extensive, ample More Synonyms of wide
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A wide smile is one in which your mouth is stretched because you are very pleased or amused.
It brought a wide smile to his face and laughter to his eyes.
His face broke into a wide grin.
widelyadverb [ADVERB after verb]
He was grinning widely, waving to her as he ran.
3. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE, oft ADJECTIVE noun]
If you open or spread something wide, you open or spread it as far as possible or to the fullest extent.
Open your mouth wide.
'It was huge,' he announced, spreading his arms wide.
His eyes were wide in disbelief.
He fell over this time, flat on his back with his legs wide.
Synonyms: expanded, dilated, fully open, distended More Synonyms of wide
4. adjective [asADJas]
You use wide to talk or ask about how much something measures from one side or edge to the other.
...a corridor of land 10 kilometres wide.
The road is only one track wide.
...a desk that was almost as wide as the room.
Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than shoulder distance apart.
5. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use wide to describe something that includes a large number of different things or people.
The brochure offers a wide choice of hotels, apartments and holiday homes.
The proposed constitution gives him much wider powers than his predecessor.
...a major event which brought together a wide range of interest groups.
Synonyms: broad, comprehensive, extensive, wide-ranging More Synonyms of wide
widelyadverb [usually ADVERB after verb]
He published widely in scientific journals.
He was widely travelled.
6. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use wide to say that something is found, believed, known, or supported by many people or throughout a large area.
The case has attracted wide publicity.
I suspect this book will have the widest appeal of all.
As pope he won wide support for his strict orthodoxy.
Synonyms: extensive, general, far-reaching, overarching More Synonyms of wide
widelyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
At present, no widely approved vaccine exists for malaria.
...the group which is widely blamed for having planted the bomb.
7. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A wide difference or gap between two things, ideas, or qualities is a large difference or gap.
Research shows a wide difference in tastes around the country.
There are wide variations caused by different academic programme structures.
widelyadverb [ADVERB after verb, ADVERB adjective]
The treatment regime may vary widely depending on the type of injury.
...children from widely different backgrounds.
8. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Wider is used to describe something which relates to the most important or general parts of a situation, rather than to the smaller parts or to details.
He emphasised the wider issue of superpower cooperation.
Oakley locates housework in the wider context of economic, social and political structures.
9. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If something such as a shot or punch is wide, it does not hit its target but lands to the right or left of it.
The shot was wide anyway.
Nearly half the missiles landed wide.
Synonyms: distant, off, away, remote More Synonyms of wide
10. wide awake
11. far and wide
12. wide of the mark
13. wide open
More Synonyms of wide
-wide
(-waɪd)
combining form
-wide combines with nouns to form adjectives which indicate that something exists or happens throughout the place or area that the noun refers to.
...a Europe-wide conference on security and cooperation.
Is the problem one that's industry-wide?
-wide also combines to form adverbs.
Employers want to be sure recruits understand business Europe-wide.
Country-wide, a total of 22 political parties are competing for the voters' allegiance.
wide in British English
(waɪd)
adjective
1.
having a great extent from side to side
2.
of vast size or scope; spacious or extensive
3.
a. (postpositive)
having a specified extent, esp from side to side
two yards wide
b. (in combination)
covering or extending throughout
nationwide
4.
distant or remote from the desired point, mark, etc
your guess is wide of the mark
5.
(of eyes) opened fully
6.
loose, full, or roomy
wide trousers
7.
exhibiting a considerable spread, as between certain limits
a wide variation
8. phonetics another word for lax1 (sense 4), open (sense 34)
adverb
9.
over an extensive area
to travel far and wide
10.
to the full extent
he opened the door wide
11.
far from the desired point, mark, etc
noun
12.
(in cricket) a bowled ball that is outside the batsman's reach and scores a run for the batting side
13. archaic or poetic
a wide space or extent
14. to the wide
Derived forms
widely (ˈwidely)
adverb
wideness (ˈwideness)
noun
widish (ˈwidish)
adjective
Word origin
Old English wīd; related to Old Norse vīthr, Old High German wīt
wide in American English
(waɪd)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈwider or ˈwidest
1.
extending over a large area; esp., extending over a larger area from side to sidethan is usual or normal
a wide bed
2.
of a specified extent from side to side
three miles wide
3.
of great extent, range, or inclusiveness
a wide variety, wide reading
4.
roomy; ample; loose; full
wide pants
5.
open or extended to full width
eyes wide with fear
6.
landing, striking, or ending far from the point, issue, etc. aimed at
usually with of
wide of the target
7. US
having a relatively low proportion of protein
said of livestock feed
8. Phonetics
lax (sense 5)
adverbWord forms: ˈwider or ˈwidest
9.
over a relatively large area; widely
to travel far and wide
10.
to a large or full extent; fully
with the door wide open
11.
so as to miss the point, issue, etc. aimed at; astray
shots that went wide
noun
12. Rare
a wide area
13. Cricket
a ball bowled out of the batsman's reach, counted as a run for the batting team
SIMILAR WORDS: broad
Derived forms
widely (ˈwidely)
adverb
wideness (ˈwideness)
noun
Word origin
ME < OE wid, akin to Ger weit < IE *wi-itos, lit., gone apart (< bases *wi-, apart + *ei-, to go) > L vitare, lit., to go away from, avoid
-wide in American English
(waɪd)
existing or extending throughout (a specified area)
statewide
More idioms containing
wide
give someone or something a wide berth
cast a wide net
be wide open
blow something wide open
leave yourself wide open
into the wide blue yonder
wide of the mark
Examples of 'wide' in a sentence
wide
Yet in the long run would a wider sense of mutual understanding make us safer?
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
That means you have space out wide and are able to get in more crosses.
The Sun (2016)
What stood out was from how far and wide they came.
The Sun (2016)
These men brought a wide variety of styles and philosophies.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Groups of two or three will have a much wider choice of properties.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In both cases the gap was wider than the previous year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The England ace is being used wide on the flanks but was taken off in three of his last four matches.
The Sun (2016)
His comrades cried as they formed the firing party and some shot wide.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The scope should be much wider than the one now being proposed.
The Sun (2009)
What it means is we do have competition in the wide areas.
The Sun (2014)
We have to use our two wide players and really have a go at them.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He needed to be able to run loose in fields and wide open spaces.
Standen, Chris Superdog! Action plans that work for a happy and well-behaved pet (1990)
The street was only wide enough for one cart to go through.
Max Arthur Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 19011910 in the words of the Men & Women Who WereThere (2006)
The prerequisite of social mobility is a wider spread of power.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
She offered it about with a wide smile.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
Good storage will help to let a flat much quicker and will appeal to a wider audience.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Their presence made a comparatively small club familiar to a far wide audience.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
We do it to reach a wider audience.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is a wide choice of engines as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He was staring wildly and his mouth hung wide open.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
But there is wide gap between gossip and action.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The rungs of the housing ladder are now much wider apart.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The same situation can cause people to experience stress in a wide variety of ways.
Atkinson, Jacqueline M Coping with Stress at Work (1988)
Why is it so hard for them to slow down and allow a wider berth?
The Sun (2007)
These leave a long bed about eighteen feet wide on each side of the central pathway.
Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)
And they have these really wide roads that they could be using so much more.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Hazard waltzed past a couple of challenges on the edge of the penalty area and hit a terrific shot just wide.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Races up to 6f run on wide straight course.
The Sun (2010)
This one was too wide at the top, this one too pointy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This is a triumph for Durham and for English cricket in its widest application.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
wide
British English: wide /waɪd/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is wide is a large distance from one side to the other.
The bed is too wide for this room.
American English: wide
Arabic: عَرِيض
Brazilian Portuguese: largo
Chinese: 宽的
Croatian: širok
Czech: široký
Danish: bred
Dutch: breed
European Spanish: ancho dimensión
Finnish: leveä
French: large
German: breit
Greek: φαρδύς
Italian: largo
Japanese: 広い
Korean: 넓은
Norwegian: bred
Polish: szeroki
European Portuguese: largo
Romanian: lat
Russian: широкий
Latin American Spanish: ancho
Swedish: bred
Thai: กว้าง
Turkish: geniş yayvan
Ukrainian: широкий
Vietnamese: rộng
British English: wide /waɪd/ ADVERB
If you open something wide, you open it fully.
Open your mouth wide.
American English: wide
Arabic: بِكَامِلِهِ
Brazilian Portuguese: largamente
Chinese: 广阔地
Croatian: širom
Czech: široce
Danish: bredt
Dutch: breed
European Spanish: de par en par
Finnish: levällään
French: grand épais
German: weit
Greek: πλατιά
Italian: del tutto
Japanese: 広く
Korean: 넓게
Norwegian: bredt
Polish: szeroko
European Portuguese: largamente
Romanian: larg
Russian: широко
Latin American Spanish: de par en par
Swedish: brett
Thai: กว้างขวาง
Turkish: ferah geniş
Ukrainian: широко
Vietnamese: rộng rãi
All related terms of 'wide'
EU-wide
(of a policy , etc) applying to all the countries of the European Union
wide-body
(of an aircraft) having a wide fuselage , esp wide enough to contain three rows of seats abreast
wide boy
A wide boy is a man, especially a young man, who has a lot of money but who earns it in a dishonest or illegal way.
wide-eyed
If you describe someone as wide-eyed , you mean that they are inexperienced and innocent, and may be easily impressed .
wide open
If something is wide open , it is open to its full extent.
double-wide
a mobile home consisting of two modular sections connected lengthwise making the width double that of a typical mobile home
wide-angle
designating or of a kind of camera lens that covers a wider angle of view than the ordinary lens
wide awake
Someone who is wide awake is fully awake and unable to sleep .
wide-bodied
(of an aircraft) having a wide fuselage , esp wide enough to contain three rows of seats abreast
wide circle
You can refer to a group of people as a circle when they meet each other regularly because they are friends or because they belong to the same profession or share the same interests.
wide margin
A margin is the difference between two amounts, especially the difference in the number of votes or points between the winner and the loser in an election or other contest .
wide trend
A trend is a change or development towards something new or different.
wide-brimmed
(of a hat ) having a wide brim
wide expanse
An expanse of something, usually sea, sky, or land, is a very large amount of it.
wide-mouthed
having a wide mouth
wide-ranging
If you describe something as wide-ranging , you mean it deals with or affects a great variety of different things.
wide receiver
a player whose function is to catch long passes from the quarterback
wide spectrum
A spectrum is a range of a particular type of thing.
be wide open
if a contest or competition is wide open, it is very difficult to say who will win because the competitors are all equally good
far and wide
If people come from far and wide , they come from a large number of places, some of them far away . If things spread far and wide , they spread over a very large area or distance.
to the wide
completely
wide variation
A variation is a change or slight difference in a level, amount, or quantity.
wide-awake hat
a hat with a low crown and very wide brim
wide recognition
When a person receives recognition for the things that they have done, people acknowledge the value or skill of their work.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a computer system which links documents and pictures into a database that is stored in computers in many different parts of the world and that people everywhere can use. The abbreviations → WWW and the Web are often used.
cast a wide net
to involve a large number of things or people in what you are doing
cut a wide swath
to make an ostentatious display or forceful impression
wide-angle lens
A wide-angle lens is a lens which allows you to photograph a wider view than a normal lens.
wide area network
a network of computers interconnected over large distances, often by optical fibres or microwave communications
wide-eyed wonder
Wonder is a feeling of great surprise and pleasure that you have, for example when you see something that is very beautiful , or when something happens that you thought was impossible .
wide of the mark
If something such as a claim or estimate is wide of the mark , it is incorrect or inaccurate .
statewide
Statewide means across or throughout the whole of one of the states of the United States.
worldwide
If something exists or happens worldwide , it exists or happens throughout the world.
widescreen
A widescreen television has a screen that is wide in relation to its height.
blow something wide open
to change something completely by doing things in a totally different way
give a wide berth to
to keep clear of; avoid
leave yourself wide open
if you leave yourself wide open to criticism or ridicule , you make it very easy for other people to criticize or ridicule you, because you behave in a naive or foolish way
to blow sth wide open
to expose something
all wool and a yard wide
genuine or admirable ; truly and thoroughly as described
give sb/sth a wide berth
If you give someone or something a wide berth , you avoid them because you think they are unpleasant or dangerous , or simply because you do not like them.
into the wide blue yonder
on a journey to a faraway place which is unfamiliar or mysterious
give sb/sthing a wide berth
If you give someone or something a wide berth , you avoid them because you think they are unpleasant, or dangerous , or simply because you do not like them.
sooty tern
a black and white tern , Sterna fuscata , of small tropical islands