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broad
1[ brawd ]
adjective
- of great breadth:
The river was too broad to swim across.
Antonyms: narrow
- measured from side to side:
The desk was three feet broad.
- of great extent; large:
the broad expanse of ocean.
We awoke to broad daylight.
- not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope:
A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.
A broad interpretation of the law tempers justice with mercy.
- main or general:
the broad outlines of a subject.
- plain or clear:
Her remark was a broad hint of her feelings.
He smirked at the broad joke.
Synonyms: gross
- (of conversation) rough; countrified.
- unconfined; unbridled; unrestrained;
It was a hilarious evening of broad mirth.
- (of pronunciation) strongly dialectal:
He wore kilts and had a broad Scots accent.
- Phonetics. (of a transcription) using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme.
- broad a, the a- sound [ah] when used in lieu of the more common a- sound [a] in such words as half, can't, and laugh.
adverb
- fully:
He was broad awake.
noun
- the broad part of anything.
- Slang.
- Usually Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman.
- a promiscuous woman.
- Often broads. Movies, Television. an incandescent or fluorescent lamp used as a general source of light in a studio.
Broad
2[ brawd ]
noun
- C(harlie) D(unbar), 1887–1971, English philosopher.
broad
/ brɔːd /
adjective
- having relatively great breadth or width
- of vast extent; spacious
a broad plain
- postpositive from one side to the other
four miles broad
- of great scope or potential
that invention had broad applications
- not detailed; general
broad plans
- clear and open; full (esp in the phrase broad daylight )
- obvious or plain
broad hints
- liberal; tolerant
a broad political stance
- widely spread; extensive
broad support
- outspoken or bold
a broad manner
- vulgar; coarse; indecent
a broad joke
- unrestrained; free
broad laughter
- (of a dialect or pronunciation) consisting of a large number of speech sounds characteristic of a particular geographical area
a broad Yorkshire accent
- finance denoting an assessment of liquidity as including notes and coin in circulation with the public, banks' till money and balances, most private-sector bank deposits, and sterling bank-deposit certificates Compare narrow
broad money
- phonetics
- of or relating to a type of pronunciation transcription in which symbols correspond approximately to phonemes without taking account of allophonic variations
- the long vowel in English words such as father , half , as represented in the received pronunciation of Southern British English
- as broad as it is longamounting to the same thing; without advantage either way
noun
- the broad part of something
- slang.
- a girl or woman
- a prostitute
- dialect.a river spreading over a lowland See also Broads
- dialect.a shallow lake
- a wood-turning tool used for shaping the insides and bottoms of cylinders
adverb
- widely or fully
broad awake
Sensitive Note
Derived Forms
- ˈbroadly, adverb
- ˈbroadness, noun
Other Words From
- broad·ish adjective
- broad·ly adverb
- o·ver·broad adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of broad1
Word History and Origins
Origin of broad1
Idioms and Phrases
- broad on the beam, Nautical. bearing 90° to the heading of a vessel.
- broad on the bow, Nautical. bearing 45° to the heading of a vessel.
- broad on the quarter, Nautical. bearing 135° to the heading of a vessel.
More idioms and phrases containing broad
- can't hit the broad side of a barn
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
The settlement, announced on Friday, will include substantial changes to Grubhub’s business practices as part of a broader crackdown on “junk fees.”
But there is a broader question at play too: that is, what effect will the loss of such a lucrative trade have on Syria's economy?
Musk’s involvement, viewed by critics as emblematic of an outsized influence by wealthy individuals, sparked broader concerns.
Drama over the Upper Great Highway goes back to the pandemic, when city officials closed the road to cars as part of a broader effort to free up outdoor recreation space.
“We hope that our findings will spark further discussion and exploration, ultimately leading to a clearer picture of the Moon’s place in the broader history of our solar system.”
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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