UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈwaɪd/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/waɪd/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(wīd)
of great size or extent from side to side; broad:the great wide lands of the prairie.
having a certain measurement from side to side: [after a noun]The doorway was only three feet wide.[before a noun* after a number of measurement]a three-foot-wide doorway.
of great range or scope:a wide selection of recordings.
fully opened:He stared at the teacher with wide eyes.
far from an aim or goal:[usually: be + ~]That remark is wide of the truth.
adv.
to the most; fully:The door was wide open.
away from a target or objective:The shot went wide.
over a large area:The birds were scattered far and wide after the drought.
wide•ly, adv.: She is widely known as an expert in management. wide•ness, n.[uncountable]
-wide,suffix.
-wide is used to form adjectives with the meaning "extending or applying throughout a certain, given space,'' as mentioned by the noun:community + -wide → communitywide (= applying to or throughout the community);countrywide;worldwide.
wide(wīd),USA pronunciationadj.,wid•er, wid•est,adv., n. adj.
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.
Sport[Baseball.]outside (def. 16):The pitch was wide of the plate.
full, ample, or roomy, as clothing:He wore wide, flowing robes.
Phoneticslax (def. 7).
British Termsshrewd; wary.
adv.
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.
n.
Sport[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.
bef. 900; Middle English; Old English wīd; cognate with Dutch wijd, German weit, Old Norse vīthr
wide′ness, n.
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, esp. to surfaces extending laterally:a broad valley.3. boundless; comprehensive; ample.
1. narrow.
-wide,
a combining form of wide, forming from nouns adjectives with the general sense "extending or applying throughout a given space,'' as specified by the noun:communitywide;countrywide;worldwide.