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broad
1[ brawd ]
adjective
- of great breadth:
The river was too broad to swim across.
Antonyms:
- measured from side to side:
The desk was three feet broad.
- of great extent; large:
the broad expanse of ocean.
Synonyms: , ,
We awoke to broad daylight.
- not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope:
A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.
Synonyms: , ,
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:
- (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
/ ɔː /
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
- ˈDz, adverb
- ˈDzԱ, noun
Other Word Forms
- Dz· adjective
- Dz· adverb
- ··Dz 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
It is tasked with a broad range of actions — hunting fugitives, transporting federal prisoners and managing goods seized from criminals.
“He saw the talent. He had a bigger, broader picture.”
The changes leave many feeling vulnerable, as the Trump administration is stripping other services, including access to lawyers, for migrant children amid a broader immigration crackdown.
If he is successful, it's due to Texas law's broad definition of legitimate "self-defense," which was passed by Republican lawmakers acting on behalf of gun lobbyists.
The review warned this too often results in teaching to the test rather than offering a broad understanding of the subjects.
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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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