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wide

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word wide different from other adjectives like it?

The words broad and deep are common synonyms of wide. While all three words mean "having horizontal extent," wide is more common when units of measurement are mentioned, or when applied to unfilled space between limits.

rugs eight feet wide
a wide doorway

In what contexts can broad take the place of wide?

Although the words broad and wide have much in common, broad is preferred when full horizontal extent is considered.

broad shoulders

When is deep a more appropriate choice than wide?

In some situations, the words deep and wide are roughly equivalent. However, deep may indicate horizontal extent away from the observer or from a front or peripheral point.

a deep cupboard
deep woods

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wide
Adjective
The other fall and winter quarters are open to a wider range of SCAD courses including architecture, art history, fashion and fibers. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 June 2025 Either way, this is launching into early access this July, so it won't be entirely finished or get a wider release just yet, but if Grounded is anything to go by it should be pretty good from the get-go either way. Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Adverb
Over the past 10 years, President Donald Trump has shattered them wide open. Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025 While the beaches tend to get crowded on peak-season weekends, large swaths of immaculate sand are wide open during weekdays and during the off-season. Kara Franker, Southern Living, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for wide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wide
Adjective
  • Nationwide effort to promote the arts In 1965, a National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities was established, and Fort Worth was a significant contributor to this broader nationwide effort to promote progress and scholarship in the arts and humanities in the United States.
    Sara Pezzoni, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 June 2025
  • Since then, military actions—from Korea and Vietnam to Iraq, Libya, and Syria—have typically been carried out under broad authorizations, U.N. resolutions, or purely at the president's discretion.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • Now, the Hornets play at the Spectrum Center in uptown, which is undergoing extensive renovations.
    Katie Black, Charlotte Observer, 27 June 2025
  • No Ju-han—Netflix If the VIPs were Season 1’s sour note, then in Season 2, slow-moving side plots set among the guards and the search party looking for Squid Game Island provided less jarring but more extensive distractions from the main event.
    Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025
Adverb
  • The prospect of trying to cut open a stubborn 5-4-1 block in the Orlando heat could have become torturous quite quickly.
    Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • The craft beer landscape was quite different when the Maltose Falcons formed their homebrewing club in California 51 years ago.
    Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Politicians in the state said this was because of a loophole in the original bill that allowed the sale of thicker, reusable plastic bags at the checkout stand.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 30 June 2025
  • Still the aftertaste of raspberry filling clings to her soft palate, as thick and heady and floral as menstrual blood.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • The finding escalates the White House’s conflict with Harvard, which has faced mounting sanctions after rejecting a list of federal demands calling for sweeping changes to campus governance, hiring and admissions.
    Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
  • One data point, one bad shooting performance, is no reason to draw sweeping conclusions.
    Derek Newton, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adverb
  • This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle's weight can push water out of the way.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 June 2025
  • Signs that smart leaders know: a world where customers demand sustainable products is fast approaching.
    Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • What people have not always had is either the awareness or deep enough pockets, which means FIFA should reduce prices and fill these stadiums.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Sometimes people forget that L.A. and Southern California is a place with real people and a super deep and rich history of Black art.
    Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 27 June 2025
Adverb
  • The perfectly baked eggplant in the borani badajan vege plate was surprisingly not mushy but rather tender.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado July 5, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2025
  • The plan was perfectly curated to make the transition as smooth, drama-free, and advantageous as possible, Jorge says.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 5 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wide. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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