Broad

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɹɔːd/
• Rhymes: -ɔːd

Origin

From Middle English brood, brode, from Old English brād ("broad, flat, open, extended, spacious, wide, ample, copious"), from Proto-Germanic *braidaz ("broad"), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots braid ("broad"), West Frisian breed ("broad"), Saterland Frisian breed ("broad"), Low German breed ("broad"), breet, Dutch breed ("broad"), German breit ("broad, wide"), Danish bred ("broad"), Swedish bred ("broad"), Icelandic breiður ("broad, wide").

Full definition of broad

Adjective

1. Wide in extent or scope.three feet broadthe broad expanse of ocean
• 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 2, Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
• 2012, April 19, Josh Halliday, Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?, Julia Farrington, head of arts at Index on Censorship, argues that extra powers to ban violent videos online will "end up too broad and open to misapplication, which would damage freedom of expression".
• 2013-06-28, Joris Luyendijk, Our banks are out of control, Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic ….  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. …  But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.
2. Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full.
• Bishop Porteusbroad and open day
3. Having a large measure of any thing or quality; not limited; not restrained.
• John Lockea broad mixture of falsehood
4. Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.
• D. DaggettThe words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.
• E. Everettin a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way
5. Plain; evident.a broad hint
6. Free; unrestrained; unconfined.
• Shakespeareas broad and general as the casing air
7. (dated) Gross; coarse; indelicate.a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humour
8. (of an accent) Strongly regional.
9. (Gaelic languages) Velarized, i.e. not palatalized.

Antonyms

• (Regarding occupied space, width of an object) thin, narrow
• (Regarding body width) skinny
• (Not palatalized) slender

Derived terms

Noun

1. (dated) A prostitute, a woman of loose morals.
2. (US) A woman or girl.Who was that broad I saw you with?
3. (UK) A shallow lake, one of a number of bodies of water in eastern Norfolk and Suffolk.
4. A lathe tool for turning down the insides and bottoms of cylinders.

Synonyms

Anagrams

• abord
• board
• dobra, Dobra