broad

[ brawd ]

/ brɔd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR broad ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR broad ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR broad

1 narrow.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR broad ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Definition for broad (2 of 2)

Broad

[ brawd ]

/ brɔd /

noun

C(harlie) D(unbar),1887–1971, English philosopher.

Example sentences from the Web for broad

The Eighty-ninth Congress was potentially more fertile ground for the broad range of controversial programs on his dream agenda.

Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society |Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Our time is so vastly different in its particulars that the parallels work only in broad strokes.

American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years |Jedediah Purdy |December 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Then, under the bold headline “Rebooting Spider-Man,” Robinov describes a broad vision for the future of the franchise.

Exclusive: Sony Hack Reveals Studio's Detailed Plans For Another ‘Spider-Man’ Reboot |William Boot |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
This could create tremendous opportunity for a broad swath of the rustbelt population.

The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead |Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Its reporting and commentary on politics, society, and arts and letters have nurtured a broad liberal spirit in our national life.

Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine |Lloyd Grove |December 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It was thirty-five feet long by fifteen broad, and twenty-two feet high.

Kate Carnegie and Those Ministers |Ian Maclaren
Rural Russia was organized on a democratic principle which still prevails throughout that broad land.

Historic Tales, Vol. 8 (of 15) |Charles Morris
The building is so far beyond any familiar proportions that at first sight all details are lost upon its broad front.

Ave Roma Immortalis, Vol. 2 |Francis Marion Crawford
On the terrace beyond several children were playing, while before him, for many a mile, lay his own broad lands.

The Ruined Cities of Zululand |Hugh Mulleneux Walmsley
About this period there was a ponderous machine with six broad wheels, and drawn by eight horses, called the Newcastle waggon.

Coaching, with Anecdotes of the Road |William Pitt Lennox

British Dictionary definitions for broad

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

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

Definition for broad (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for broad

British Dictionary definitions for broad

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of broad

Word Origin for broad

Idioms and Phrases with broad

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

Definition for broad (2 of 2)

noun

Words related to broad

Example sentences from the Web for broad

British Dictionary definitions for broad

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of broad

Word Origin for broad

Idioms and Phrases with broad