wide

 
Pronunciation: /wʌɪd/

adjective (wider, widest)

  • 1of great or more than average width: a wide road
  • (after a measurement and in questions) from side to side: it measures 15 cm long by 12 cm wide how wide do you think this house is?
  • open to the full extent: his eyes were wide with fear
  • considerable: tax revenues have undershot Treasury projections by a wide margin
  • 2including a great variety of people or things: a wide range of opinion his wide circle of friends
  • spread among a large number of people or over a large area: the government’s desire for wider share ownership
  • considering or dealing with the more general aspects of a situation, issue, etc.: the wider implications of the dispute
  • [in combination] extending over the whole of: an industry-wide trend
  • 3at a considerable or specified distance from an intended point or target: the ball was wide of the leg stump
  • (especially in soccer) at or near the side of the field: he played in a wide left position

adverb

  • 1to the full extent: his eyes opened wide
  • 2far from a particular or intended point or target: his final touchline conversion drifted wide
  • (especially in football) at or near the side of the field: he will play wide on the right

noun

  • (also wide ball) Cricket a ball that is judged to be too wide of the stumps for the batsman to play, for which an extra is awarded to the batting side.

Phrases

give someone/thing a wide berth

see berth.

wide awake

fully awake.

wide of the mark

see off the mark at mark1.

wide open

  • 1fully open: the door was wide open
  • 2very vulnerable, unprotected: the system is wide open to fraud
  • 3(of an issue or contest) completely unresolved: the election is wide open with six candidates in serious contention for the seats

Derivatives

wideness

noun

widish

adjective

Origin:

Old English wīd 'spacious, extensive', wīde 'over a large area', of Germanic origin