| English Dictionary |
WIDE-OPEN
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does wide-open mean?
• WIDE-OPEN (adjective)
The adjective WIDE-OPEN has 2 senses:
1. open wide
2. lax in enforcing laws
Familiarity information: WIDE-OPEN used as an adjective is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Open wide
Context example:
left the doors wide-open
Similar:
open; unfastened (affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Lax in enforcing laws
Synonyms:
lawless; wide-open
Context example:
a wide-open town
Similar:
unlawful (contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law)
Context examples
Gosh, in a wide-open contraption like that!
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs." (English proverb)
"Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way." (Native American proverb, Blackfoot)
"Leading by example is better than commandments." (Arabic proverb)
"If a caged bird isn't singing for love, it's singing in a rage." (Corsican proverb)
"Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way." (Native American proverb, Blackfoot)
"Leading by example is better than commandments." (Arabic proverb)
"If a caged bird isn't singing for love, it's singing in a rage." (Corsican proverb)