wide
pronunciation
How to pronounce wide in British English:
UK [waɪd]
How to pronounce wide in American English:
US [waɪd]
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- Adjective:
- having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
- broad in scope or content
- (used of eyes) fully open or extended
- very large in expanse or scope
- great in degree
- great in range or scope
- having ample fabric
- not on target
-
- Adverb:
- with or by a broad space
- to the fullest extent possible
- far from the intended target
- to or over a great extent or range; far
Word Origin
- wide
- wide: [OE] Wide is a general Germanic word, with relatives in German weit, Dutch wijd, and Swedish and Danish vid. All are descended from prehistoric Germanic *wīdaz, which may go back ultimately to the Indo-European base *wi- ‘apart, away’ (source also of Sanskrit vitarám ‘further’). Width was coined in the early 17th century, probably on the analogy of breadth.
- wide (adj.)
- Old English wid "vast, broad, long," also used of time, from Proto-Germanic *widaz (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian wid, Old Norse viðr, Dutch wijd, Old High German wit, German weit), perhaps from PIE *wi-ito-, from root *wi- "apart, away, in half." Meaning "distended, expanded, spread apart" is from c. 1500; sense of "embracing many subjects" is from 1530s; meaning "missing the intended target" is from 1580s. As a second element in compounds (such as nationwide, worldwide) meaning "extending through the whole of," is is from late Old English. As an adverb, Old English wide. Wide open "unguarded, exposed to attack" (1915) originally was in boxing, etc. Wide awake (adj.) is first recorded 1818; figurative sense of "alert, knowing" is attested from 1833.
Antonym
Example
- 1. Personal publishing is now joined by wide personal distribution .
- 2. It 's 11 inches wide and only 3 millimeters thick .
- 3. I used to scour far and wide .
- 4. His support of terrorism was both wide and deep .
- 5. Take a good , wide shot of the house .