See Also: wide 1, adjective(dictionary)
wide boy(dictionary)
wide-where(dictionary)
wide(2)(dictionary)
wide(1)(dictionary)
wide(dictionary)
Wide opening(finance)
wide-ranging(dictionary)
wide 2, adverb(dictionary)
wide-awake(dictionary)

wide 1, adjective (oh)



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1 ?distance?
2 ?variety?
3 ?in many places?
4 a wide variation/difference/gap etc
5 the wider context/issues/picture etc
6 ?eyes?
7 give somebody/something a wide berth
8 ?not hit something?
9 the (big) wide world
10 nationwide/city-wide etc
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[Language: Old English; Origin: wid]
?DISTANCE?
a) measuring a large distance from one side to the other
-synonym broad broad
-opposite narrow narrow
::a wide tree-lined road
::a hat with a wide brim
wide smile/grin
::As he ran toward me, his face broke into a wide grin.
b) measuring a particular distance from one side to the other
::How wide is the door?
::The boat was nearly as wide as the canal.
five metres/two miles etc wide
::The river is more than fifty yards wide.
?VARIETY?
[usually before noun] including or involving a large variety of different people, things, or situations
::a man with a wide experience of foreign affairs
::Our aim is to bring classical music to a wider audience.
a wide range/variety/choice etc (of sth)
::This year's festival includes a wide range of entertainers.
::holidays to a wide choice of destinations
?IN MANY PLACES?
[usually before noun] happening among many people or in many places
::The radio and newspapers gave the trial wide coverage.
a wide variation/difference/gap etc
a large and noticeable difference
::the ever-wider gap between the richest and poorest countries
the wider context/issues/picture etc
the more general features of a situation, rather than the specific details
::We hope that by the end of the course students will be able to see their subject in a wider context.
?EYES?
literary wide eyes are fully open, especially when someone is very surprised, excited, or frightened
::Her eyes grew wide in anticipation.
give sb/sth a wide berth
to avoid someone or something
?NOT HIT SOMETHING?
not hitting something you were aiming at
wide of
::His shot was just wide of the goal.
the (big) wide world
especially spoken places outside the small familiar place where you live
::Soon you'll leave school and go out into the big wide world.
nationwide/city-wide etc
affecting all the people in a nation, city etc
::a country-wide revolt against the government
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WORD CHOICE: wide, thick, broad
Wide is used to talk about the distance across something such as a road or river. It is also used to talk about the distance from one side to the other of an object : a doorway two metres wide
Thick is usually used to talk about the distance between the two largest surfaces of an object : The steel doors are four inches thick.
Broad can often be used instead of wide , but it is slightly literary : broad, graceful avenues
Broad is always used with shoulders and back : a big man with broad (NOT wide) shoulders
Wide is used with nouns such as range , variety , and choice to say that something includes a lot of different things.
Broad is used with nouns such as outline , picture , and description to say that a description is general rather than specific.