widely

Variant of wide

adjective wider, widest

  1. extending over a large area; esp., extending over a larger area from side to side than is usual or normal: a wide bed
  2. of a specified extent from side to side: three miles wide
  3. of great extent, range, or inclusiveness: a wide variety, wide reading
  4. roomy; ample; loose; full: wide pants
  5. open or extended to full width: eyes wide with fear
  6. landing, striking, or ending far from the point, issue, etc. aimed at: usually with of: wide of the target
  7. ☆ having a relatively low proportion of protein: said of livestock feed
  8. Phonet. lax ()

Origin: ME < OE wid, akin to Ger weit < IE *wi-itos, lit., gone apart (< bases *wi-, apart + *ei-, to go) > L vitare, lit., to go away from, avoid

adverb wider, widest

  1. over a relatively large area; widely: to travel far and wide
  2. to a large or full extent; fully: with the door wide open
  3. so as to miss the point, issue, etc. aimed at; astray: shots that went wide

noun

  1. Rare a wide area
  2. Cricket a ball bowled out of the batsman's reach, counted as a run for the batting team

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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