wide´ness

wide «wyd», adjective, wid|er, wid|est, adverb, noun.

–adj.

1. filling more space from side to side than the usual thing of the same sort; not narrow; broad: »

a wide street, a wide hall.

2. extending a certain distance from side to side: »

The door is three feet wide.

3. extending a great distance; extensive; vast; great: »

to go forth into the wide world. Columbus sailed across the wide ocean. Figurative. The opposing candidates had wide differences of opinion.

4. full; ample; roomy: »

wide shoes.

5. Figurative. having great range; including many different things; extensive; comprehensive: »

A trip around the world gives wide experience. Wide reading gives wide understanding of our times and places.

6. far or fully open; distended: »

The child stared with wide eyes.

7. far from a named point, object, or target; too far or too much to one side: »

His shot was wide of the target. Figurative. His guess was wide of the truth.

8. Photics. uttered with the tongue relatively relaxed, as the vowel in bid or bed; lax.

9. having a big difference between the buying and selling prices of a security.

10. (of livestock feed) containing a proportionately small amount of protein.

–adv.

1. to a great or relatively great extent from side to side: »

Figurative. opinions that are wide apart.

2. over an extensive space or region: »

to travel far and wide.

3. to the full extent; fully: »

Open your mouth wide. The gates stand wide open.

4. aside; astray: »

The arrow went wide.

–n.

1. a wide space or expanse.

2. a ball bowled wide of the wicket in cricket, counting as a run for the batsman's side.

3. Phonetics. a wide vowel.

╂[Old English wīd]

–wide´ness, noun.

Synonym Study adjective. 3 Wide, broad mean far or large across. Wide emphasizes the distance from one side to the other: »

Figurative. a wide gap between knowledge and practice.

Broad emphasizes the expanse between the two sides: »

Ships sail on the broad ocean.