Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

wide

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adjective British English pronunciation: wide /waɪd/ 
Word Forms
Close
adjectivewide
comparativewider
superlativewidest
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    measuring a large distance from one side to the other

    Beijing's wide avenues and boulevards

    An earthquake shook a wide area of southern Italy on Saturday.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of wide
    1. a.
      measuring a particular distance from one side to the other

      The stream is about 4 feet wide here.

      The roads are barely wide enough for cars.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of wide
  2. 2
    including or involving many different things or people

    Her proposal has gained wide support in the last few months.

    His wide experience of the business world proved invaluable to us.

    a wide range/variety:

    Workers must carry out a wide range of tasks.

    a wide selection/choice:

    We carry the area's widest selection of wines.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of wide
    1. a.
      very large

      She won the election by a wide margin.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of wide
  3. 3
    concerning the basic aspects of something rather than the details

    The report looks at women's employment in its wider social context.

    Senior managers are expected to take a wider view of problems.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of wide
  4. 4
    as open or large as possible

    a wide smile/grin

    The boy looked at the intruder, his eyes wide with fear.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of wide

This is the British English definition of wide. View American English definition of wide.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for wide.

 

caxirola

a percussion instrument used by football fans which makes a rattling sound when shaken

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

glean

to learn small pieces of information by asking questions or watching or listening carefully

Open Dictionary

pierce the corporate veil

… the decision to treat the rights and duties of a company as being the same as the rights and duties of its shareholders

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog