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Webster 1913 Edition

Wide

Wide

(wīd)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Wider
(-ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Widest
.]
[OE.
wid
,
wyde
, AS.
wīd
; akin to OFries. & OS.
wīd
, D.
wijd
, G.
weit
, OHG.
wīt
, Icel.
vīðr
, Sw. & Dan.
vid
; of uncertain origin.]
1.
Having considerable distance or extent between the sides; spacious across; much extended in a direction at right angles to that of length; not narrow; broad;
as,
wide
cloth; a
wide
table; a
wide
highway; a
wide
bed; a
wide
hall or entry.
The chambers and the stables weren
wyde
.
Chaucer.
Wide
is the gate . . . that leadeth to destruction.
Matt. vii. 18.
2.
Having a great extent every way; extended; spacious; broad; vast; extensive;
as, a
wide
plain; the
wide
ocean; a
wide
difference
.
“This wyde world.”
Chaucer.
For sceptered cynics earth were far too
wide
a den.
Byron.
When the
wide
bloom, on earth that lies,
Seems of a brighter world than ours.
Bryant.
3.
Of large scope; comprehensive; liberal; broad;
as,
wide
views; a
wide
understanding
.
Men of strongest head and
widest
culture.
M. Arnold.
4.
Of a certain measure between the sides; measuring in a direction at right angles to that of length;
as, a table three feet
wide
.
5.
Remote; distant; far.
The contrary being so
wide
from the truth of Scripture and the attributes of God.
Hammond.
6.
Far from truth, from propriety, from necessity, or the like.
“Our wide expositors.”
Milton.
It is far
wide
that the people have such judgments.
Latimer.
How
wide
is all this long pretense !
Herbert.
7.
On one side or the other of the mark; too far side-wise from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.
Surely he shoots
wide
on the bow hand.
Spenser.
I was but two bows
wide
.
Massinger.
8.
(Phon.)
Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the mouth organs; – opposed to primary as used by Mr. Bell, and to narrow as used by Mr. Sweet. The effect, as explained by Mr. Bell, is due to the relaxation or tension of the pharynx; as explained by Mr. Sweet and others, it is due to the action of the tongue. The wide of ē (ēve) is ĭ (ĭll); of ā (āte) is ĕ (ĕnd), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, § 13-15.
☞ Wide is often prefixed to words, esp. to participles and participial adjectives, to form self-explaining compounds; as, wide-beaming, wide-branched, wide-chopped, wide-echoing, wide-extended, wide-mouthed, wide-spread, wide-spreading, and the like.
Far and wide
.
See under
Far
.
–
Wide gauge
.
See the Note under
Cauge
, 6.

Wide

,
adv.
[As.
wīde
.]
1.
To a distance; far; widely; to a great distance or extent;
as, his fame was spread
wide
.
[I] went
wyde
in this world, wonders to hear.
Piers Plowman.
2.
So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.
Shak.
3.
So as to be or strike far from, or on one side of, an object or purpose; aside; astray.

Wide

,
Noun.
1.
That which is wide; wide space; width; extent.
“The waste wide of that abyss.”
Tennyson.
2.
That which goes wide, or to one side of the mark.

Webster 1828 Edition

Wide

WIDE

,
Adj.
1.
Broad; having a great or considerable distance or extent between the sides; opposed to narrow; as wide cloth; a wide table; a wide highway; a wide bed; a wide hall or entry. In this use, wide is distinguished from long, which refers to the extent or distance between the ends.
2.
Broad; having a great extent each way; as a wide plain; the wide ocean.
3.
Remote; distant. This position is very wide from the truth.
4.
Broad to a certain degree; as three feet wide.

WIDE

,
adv.
1.
At a distance; far. His fame was spread wide.
2.
With great extent; used chiefly in composition; as wide-skirted meads; wide-waving swords; wide-wasting pestilence; wide-spreading evil.

Definition 2024

wide

wide

See also: -wide

English

Adjective

wide ‎(comparative wider, superlative widest)

  1. Having a large physical extent from side to side.
    We walked down a wide corridor.‎
  2. Large in scope.
    • 2013 July-August, Fenella Saunders, “Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture”, in American Scientist:
      The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
    The inquiry had a wide remit.‎
  3. (sports) Operating at the side of the playing area.
    That team needs a decent wide player.‎
  4. On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.
    Too bad! That was a great passing-shot, but it's wide.‎
    • Spenser
      Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand.
    • Massinger
      I was but two bows wide.
  5. (phonetics, dated) Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth.
  6. (Scotland, Northern England, now rare) Vast, great in extent, extensive.
    The wide, lifeless expanse.‎
  7. Remote; distant; far.
    The hut was not wide from the sea.‎
    The cabin is not wide from the lake.‎
    • Hammond
      the contrary being so wide from the truth of Scripture and the attributes of God
  8. (obsolete) Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc.
    • John Milton
      And I trust anon by the help of an infallible guide, to perfect such Prutenic tables, as shall mend the astronomy of our wide expositors.
    • Latimer
      It is far wide that the people have such judgments.
    • Herbert
      How wide is all this long pretence!
  9. (computing) Of or supporting a greater range of text characters than can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
    a wide character; a wide stream

Antonyms

  • narrow (regarding empty area)
  • thin (regarding occupied area)
  • skinny (sometimes offensive, regarding body width)

Hyponyms

Hyponyms

  • kilometre-wide (km-wide)
  • metre-wide (m-wide)
  • nation-wide

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Adverb

wide ‎(comparative wider, superlative widest)

  1. extensively
    He travelled far and wide.
  2. completely
    He was wide awake.
  3. away from a given goal
    The arrow fell wide of the mark.
    • 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:
      The Reds carved the first opening of the second period as Glen Johnson's pull-back found David Ngog but the Frenchman hooked wide from six yards.
  4. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

wide ‎(plural wides)

  1. (cricket) A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score

Old English

Etymology

From wīd.

Pronunciation

Adverb

wīde

  1. widely

Etymology

From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd ‎(“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wī- ‎(“apart, asunder, in two”), from Proto-Indo-European *weye- ‎(“to drive, separate”). Cognate with Scots wyd, wid ‎(“of great extent; vast”), West Frisian wiid ‎(“broad; wide”), Dutch wijd ‎(“wide; large; broad”), German weit ‎(“far; wide; broad”), Swedish vid ‎(“wide”), Icelandic víður ‎(“wide”), Latin dīvidō ‎(“separate, sunder”), Latin vītō ‎(“avoid, shun”). Related to widow.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wiː.de/

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