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wide

/waɪd/
adjectiveadverbnoun

WIDE means broad or extensive, scores 8 Scrabble points, and has one recorded anagram: WEID.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Adjective 4 meanings

  1. Having a large physical extent from side to side.

    “We walked down a wide corridor.”

  2. Large in scope.

    “The inquiry had a wide remit.”

  3. Operating at the side of the playing area.

    “That team needs a decent wide player.”

  4. On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.

    “Two balls before lunch, he bowled a wide.”

Adverb 4 meanings

  1. Extensively.

    “He travelled far and wide.”

  2. Completely.

    “He was wide awake.”

  3. Away from or to one side of a given goal.

    “The arrow fell wide of the mark.”

  4. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.

Noun 1 meaning

  1. A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English wid, wyd, from Old English wīd (“wide, vast, broad, long; distant, far”), from Proto-Germanic *wīdaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to divide, separate”), a dissimilated univerbation from *dwi- (“apart, asunder, in two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
broadthick
Opposite
narrowthinskinnylongscrawny

WIDE is an everyday adjective with a second, very different life in cricket: it names an unplayable delivery and the extra run awarded for it. The word also packs 8 Scrabble points into four letters, mostly because W is worth 4. Its single anagram, WEID, is far less familiar than WIDE itself, so check your game's dictionary before trying it.

WIDE at a glance

  • WIDE scores 8 points in Scrabble: W contributes 4, D contributes 2, and I and E add 1 apiece.
  • One anagram is WEID; its acceptance depends on the word list used in your game.
  • The 20 one-letter neighbours include SIDE, RIDE, WIFE, WISE and WIRE.
  • WIDE has 12 listed rhymes, including SIDE, RIDE, GUIDE and PRIDE, which share the -ide sound.

What does WIDE mean?

In everyday use, wide describes a large side-to-side distance: a wide road has plenty of room across it, and a wide doorway admits a bulky object. The adjective also reaches beyond physical size. A wide choice covers many options, while a wide margin leaves a large gap.

Cricket gives WIDE a specialized noun sense. An umpire calls a wide when a delivery passes too far from the batter to be playable; the batting side receives an extra run, and the delivery is not counted as legal in the over. That sporting meaning is distinct from describing a wide field or broad selection.

What words connect to WIDE?

Changing one letter at a time produces 20 neighbours, including familiar words such as SIDE, RIDE, HIDE, WIFE and WIRE. Those examples are easier to recognize than less common entries such as VIDE or WICE. The starting W stays put in several neighbours, while SIDE and RIDE change it.

The anagram set contains just WEID, so WIDE offers little anagram choice compared with its neighbour set. Twelve rhymes give you more sound-alike options: SIDE, INSIDE, OUTSIDE, PROVIDE and DECIDE are among them.

Rhymes with wide

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest

Questions people ask

What does wide mean in cricket?
In cricket, a wide is a delivery that passes too far from the batter to be playable. The umpire signals the call, and the batting side receives an extra run. It is a sporting noun, unlike the everyday adjective describing something broad from side to side.
How many points is WIDE worth in Scrabble?
WIDE is worth 8 points before any board bonuses. W is the main contributor at 4 points, D adds 2, and I and E each add 1. A letter or word premium square can change the turn's total.
What is the anagram of WIDE?
WEID is the single anagram listed for WIDE. It is much less familiar than the original word, so do not assume every game accepts it; check the dictionary used in your match before playing it.

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