broad

¹

[ brawd ]

adjective

, broad·er, broad·est.

1. of great breadth:

   The river was too broad to swim across.

   Antonyms: narrow

2. measured from side to side:

   The desk was three feet broad.

3. of great extent; large:

   the broad expanse of ocean.

   Synonyms: vast, ample, extensive

4. wide-open; full:

   We awoke to broad daylight.

5. not limited or narrow; of extensive range or scope:

   A modern doctor must have a broad knowledge of medicine.

   Synonyms: open, wide, extensive

6. liberal; tolerant:

   A broad interpretation of the law tempers justice with mercy.

7. main or general:

   the broad outlines of a subject.

8. plain or clear:

   Her remark was a broad hint of her feelings.

9. outspoken; plain-spoken.
10. indelicate; indecent:

    He smirked at the broad joke.

    Synonyms: gross

11. (of conversation) rough; countrified.
12. unconfined; unbridled; unrestrained;

    It was a hilarious evening of broad mirth.

13. (of pronunciation) strongly dialectal:

    He wore kilts and had a broad Scots accent.

14. Phonetics. (of a transcription) using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme.
15. 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

1. fully:

   He was broad awake.

noun

1. the broad part of anything.
2. Slang.
   1. Usually Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman.
   2. a promiscuous woman.
3. Often broads. Movies, Television. an incandescent or fluorescent lamp used as a general source of light in a studio.
4. a gold coin of England and Scotland, issued by James I and Charles I and equal to 20 shillings. Compare carolus, jacobus.

Broad

²

[ brawd ]

noun

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

broad

/ brɔːd /

adjective

1. having relatively great breadth or width
2. of vast extent; spacious

   a broad plain

3. postpositive from one side to the other

   four miles broad

4. of great scope or potential

   that invention had broad applications

5. not detailed; general

   broad plans

6. clear and open; full (esp in the phrase broad daylight )
7. obvious or plain

   broad hints

8. liberal; tolerant

   a broad political stance

9. widely spread; extensive

   broad support

10. outspoken or bold

    a broad manner

11. vulgar; coarse; indecent

    a broad joke

12. unrestrained; free

    broad laughter

13. (of a dialect or pronunciation) consisting of a large number of speech sounds characteristic of a particular geographical area

    a broad Yorkshire accent

14. 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

15. phonetics
    1. of or relating to a type of pronunciation transcription in which symbols correspond approximately to phonemes without taking account of allophonic variations
    2. the long vowel in English words such as father , half , as represented in the received pronunciation of Southern British English
16. as broad as it is long
    amounting to the same thing; without advantage either way

noun

1. the broad part of something
2. slang.
   1. a girl or woman
   2. a prostitute
3. dialect.
   a river spreading over a lowland See also Broads
4. dialect.
   a shallow lake
5. a wood-turning tool used for shaping the insides and bottoms of cylinders

adverb

1. widely or fully

   broad awake

Sensitive Note

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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of broad¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. broad on the beam, Nautical. bearing 90° to the heading of a vessel.
2. broad on the bow, Nautical. bearing 45° to the heading of a vessel.
3. 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

See wide.

Example Sentences

Then they examined six broad socially disadvantaged groups in India.

From BBC

With curly hair receding above his broad forehead and an energetic grin, Zuckerman was effectively Tanton’s Trojan horse.

From Salon

The Pine Tree Party’s mission is environmental, broad and violent.

From Salon

“One critical way to undermine that is by having conflicts of interest. We need to be on the alert for people who are advising the government who may have their own personal interests. Plainly, with a figure like Elon Musk, who has such broad holdings, that’s particularly important.”

From Los Angeles Times

Thune is more a Chamber-of-Commerce crusader for low taxes than he is a culture warrior calling out woke capitalism; on Trump’s plans for broad tariffs, especially, the two seem most mismatched.

From Slate

Related Words

• comprehensive
• expansive
• extensive
• far-reaching
• sweeping
• universal
• wide
• wide-ranging