What does "wide" mean?

1. (distance from side to side) measuring a large distance from one side to the other. 2. (large in scope) including many different types of things or people. 3. (missing the target) far from the point you were aiming at. 4. (computing/text) using more computer memory to show special characters from different languages. 5. (fully or completely) to the full or largest possible amount. 6. (cricket penalty) a ball thrown too far from the batter, giving the other team a point.

wide — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01distance from side to side

A2 · Elementary

adj. measuring a large distance from one side to the other.

adj. having a great extent from side to side; broad in physical dimension.

“The river is very wide at this point, so we need a boat to cross.”

“The architect designed a wide hallway to accommodate the heavy flow of visitors expected during peak gallery hours.”

Synonyms

broad spacious

Antonyms

narrow thin

02large in scope

B1 · Intermediate

adj. including many different types of things or people.

adj. extensive in scope, range, or variety.

“The shop offers a wide range of organic vegetables from local farms.”

“The university provides a wide variety of extracurricular activities, ranging from competitive sports to specialized academic societies.”

Synonyms

extensive comprehensive vast

Antonyms

limited restricted

03missing the target

B1 · Intermediate Sports

adj. far from the point you were aiming at.

adj. located or directed at a distance from the intended mark or goal.

“His shot was wide of the goal and hit the fence behind it.”

“The striker's final attempt was agonizingly wide, missing the far post by only a few inches in the closing minutes of the match.”

Synonyms

off-targetastray

Antonyms

accurate centered

04computing/text

C1 · Advanced Computing Technical

adj. using more computer memory to show special characters from different languages.

adj. supporting a greater range of text characters than the traditional 8-bit representation, typically referring to 16-bit or 32-bit encoding.

“The software uses wide characters to display the text correctly in Japanese.”

“Modern applications rely on wide character strings to ensure full compatibility with international phonetic symbols and non-Latin scripts.”

Synonyms

multi-byteUnicode

05fully or completely

B1 · Intermediate

adv. to the full or largest possible amount.

adv. to the full extent; completely or fully.

“She opened the window wide to let the fresh air into the room.”

“The child stared with eyes wide in amazement as the magician pulled a rabbit from the empty hat.”

Synonyms

fully completely

Antonyms

partially

06cricket penalty

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Sports British English

n. a ball thrown too far from the batter, giving the other team a point.

n. a ball that passes so far from the batsman that it is deemed unplayable, resulting in an extra run for the batting side.

“The bowler was frustrated after giving away a wide in the final over.”

“The umpire signaled a wide by extending both arms horizontally, penalizing the bowler for a delivery that strayed too far outside the off stump.”

Synonyms

extra

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “wide” in context.

01. random wide 02. wide array

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian widj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian wied (“wide”), West Frisian wiid (“broad; wide”), Central Franconian weck, weit, wick, wiet (“distant, far, wide”), Dutch wijd (“wide; large; broad”), German weit (“far; wide; broad”), Luxembourgish weit (“wide”), wäit (“far”), Yiddish ווײַט (vayt, “distant, far”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish vid (“wide”), Faroese and Icelandic víður (“wide”); also Breton gwez (“trees”), Cornish gwedh, gwëdh, gwydh, gwÿdh (“trees”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic fiodh (“timber, wood”), Manx fuygh (“timber, wood”), Welsh gwŷdd (“trees”), Latin dīvidō (“to divide, separate”), Latgalian vyds (“middle”), Latvian vidus (“center, middle”), Lithuanian vidùs (“interior, inside; inward”), Tocharian A and Tocharian B wätk- (“to distinguish, separate”). Related to widow.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

widen(C1)

ADJECTIVE

wide(A2)

widespread(B2)

ADVERB

widely(B2)

deep long width