26984 words

wide

10 definitions • 21 examples
1
having a larger distance from one side to the other than is usual or expected, especially in comparison with the length of something; not narrow:

Examples:

a wide river/road/gap/foot
wide with His eyes were wide (= opened much more than usual) with surprise.
2
used when describing how long the distance between the two sides of something is or when asking for this information:

Examples:

The rectangle is 5 cm long and 1.9 cm wide.
The swimming pool is five metres wide.
How wide are your skis?
3
used to describe something that includes a large amount or many different types of thing, or that covers a large range or area:

Examples:

wide range They sell a wide range of skin-care products.
She has a wide experience of teaching, in many different schools.
The idea no longer enjoys wide support (= the support of many people).
4
farther than usual, or as far as possible:

Examples:

open wide "Open wide," said the dentist.
wide apart They moved the fence posts wider apart.
5
completely, or by a large amount:

Examples:

wide open She left the door wide open.
wide awake It was 3 a.m. and we were still wide awake.
6
in cricket, an occasion where the bowler throws the ball too wide of the batter (= the player who tries to hit the ball) and the batting team gets an extra point:

Examples:

The captain was unhappy with the number of wides and no balls bowled by his team.
The umpire called the delivery a wide.
7
far from one side to the other, esp. in comparison with length from top to bottom, or being a particular distance across:

Examples:

a wide window
a wide yard
The bay is 15 miles wide here.
8
Wide open spaces are land with no buildings on it.
9
covering a large area, or including many types of things:

Examples:

They sell a wide range of skin-care products.
The candidate has wide support (= the support of many people).
10

Examples:

I was wide awake.
The dentist said, "Open wide."

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