wide-open
adjective
opened to the full extent.
wide-open
American
[wahyd-oh-puhn]
/ ˈwaɪdˈoʊ pən /
adjective
-
opened to the full extent.
a wide-open window.
-
lacking laws or strict enforcement of laws concerning liquor, vice, gambling, etc..
a wide-open town.
wide-open
British
adjective
-
open to the full extent
-
(postpositive) exposed to attack; vulnerable
-
uncertain as to outcome
-
informal (of a town or city) lax in the enforcement of certain laws, esp those relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol, gambling, the control of vice, etc
wide open
Idioms
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Unresolved, unsettled, as in The fate of that former colony is still wide open . [Mid-1900s]
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Unprotected or vulnerable, as in That remark about immigrants left him wide open to hostile criticism . This expression originated in boxing, where it signifies being off one's guard and open to an opponent's punches. It began to be used more broadly about 1940. Also see leave open .
Etymology
Origin of wide-open
First recorded in 1850–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There is some hope for people who remember those old internet communities, as well as the nostalgic youngsters who never knew a more wide-open internet.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Come 2028, the Democratic presidential campaign promises to be a banger, with all sorts of intrigue and subplots layered within a wide-open fight for the nomination.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
That resilience has been demonstrated by all four semi-finalists, who have seized their chance in a wide-open draw in Paris.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Rai’s unlikely emergence came out of one of the most wide-open majors of all time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
It made him seem almost middle-aged, although his face with its high, smooth forehead and wide-open eyes was young.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
"But overall working conditions here are good, the weather is good, and I like working in the wide, open spaces of Kashmir."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Kiffin’s designs launched receivers into wide open grass and sent running backs bursting clean through the line of scrimmage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
I need them to be wide open and to rediscover the music every night from their perspective.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
But it also found that the general election on Nov. 3 is wide open, with most voters undecided.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Normally there’s an Off-Limits sign on its front, but today the doors are wide open.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
