broad

[ brawd ]

/ brɔd /

adjective, broad·er, broad·est.

of great breadth: The river was too broad to swim across.

measured from side to side: The desk was three feet broad.

of great extent; large: the broad expanse of ocean.

widely diffused; open; full: We awoke to broad daylight.

not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope: A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.

liberal; tolerant: 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.

bold; plain-spoken.

indelicate; indecent: He smirked at the broad joke.

(of conversation) rough; countrified.

unconfined; free; 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] /ɑ/ when used in lieu of the more common a-sound

[a] /æ/ 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.

a gold coin of England and Scotland, issued by James I and Charles I and equal to 20 shillings. Compare carolus, jacobus.

Idioms for broad

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.

Origin of broad

before 1000; Middle English bro(o)d, Old English brād; cognate with Dutch breed, German breit, Old Norse breithr, Gothic braiths

SYNONYMS FOR broad

1 See wide.

3 extensive, ample, vast.

5 liberal, open.

10 gross.

ANTONYMS FOR broad

1 narrow.

usage note for broad

When used to refer to a woman, broad is usually perceived as insulting. The meaning “promiscuous woman” is probably the earlier sense.

OTHER WORDS FROM broad

broad·ish, adjective broad·ly, adverb o·ver·broad, adjective

Words nearby broad

brno chair, bro, bro talk, bro., broach, broad, broad arrow, broad bean, broad church, broad construction, broad daylight

British Dictionary definitions for broad daylight

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 broad money Compare narrow (def. 7)

phonetics

of or relating to a type of pronunciation transcription in which symbols correspond approximately to phonemes without taking account of allophonic variations
broad a 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 long amounting to the same thing; without advantage either way

noun

the broad part of something

slang, mainly US and Canadian

a girl or woman
a prostitute

British dialect a river spreading over a lowland See also Broads

East Anglian dialect a shallow lake

a wood-turning tool used for shaping the insides and bottoms of cylinders

adverb

widely or fully broad awake

Derived forms of broad

broadly, adverb broadness, noun

Word Origin for broad

Old English brād; related to Old Norse breithr, Old Frisian brēd, Old High German breit, Gothic braiths

Idioms and Phrases with broad daylight (1 of 2)

broad daylight

Ample and obvious natural light, as in You don't need your flashlight—it's broad daylight, or She was accosted on her own street in broad daylight. [1300s]

Idioms and Phrases with broad daylight (2 of 2)

broad

In addition to the idioms beginning with broad

broad daylight
broad in the beam
broad shoulders, have

also see:

can't hit the broad side of a barn

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

broad

adjective, broad·er, broad·est.

adverb

noun

Idioms for broad

Origin of broad

SYNONYMS FOR broad

ANTONYMS FOR broad

usage note for broad

OTHER WORDS FROM broad

Words nearby broad

British Dictionary definitions for broad daylight

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of broad

Word Origin for broad

Idioms and Phrases with broad daylight (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with broad daylight (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

broad

adjective, broad·er, broad·est.

adverb

noun

Idioms for broad

Origin of broad

SYNONYMS FOR broad

ANTONYMS FOR broad

usage note for broad

OTHER WORDS FROM broad

Words nearby broad

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for broad daylight

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of broad

Word Origin for broad

Idioms and Phrases with broad daylight (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with broad daylight (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for broad daylight