Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,786,565,368 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

wide-open

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
wide-o·pen (wdpn)
adj.
1. Completely open: a wide-open door.
2. Being without laws or law enforcement: a wide-open frontier town.
wide-open
adj (wide open when postpositive)
1. open to the full extent
2. (postpositive) exposed to attack; vulnerable
3. uncertain as to outcome
4. (Law) US 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.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.wide-open - open wide; "left the doors wide-open"
open, unfastened - affording unobstructed entrance and exit; not shut or closed; "an open door"; "they left the door open"
2.wide-open - lax in enforcing laws; "a wide-open town"
lawless
unlawful - contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law; "unlawful measures"; "unlawful money"; "unlawful hunters"
wide-open
adjective
1. outspread, spread, outstretched, splayed, fully open, fully extended, gaping He came towards her with his arms wide open in welcome.
2. unprotected, open, exposed, vulnerable, at risk, in danger, susceptible, defenceless, in peril The virus leaves the body wide open to infection.
3. uncertain, unsettled, unpredictable, up for grabs (informal), indeterminate, anybody's guess (informal) The match was still wide open at half-time.


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
With thy dear name as text, though bidden by thee, I can not write-I can not speak or think-- Alas, I can not feel; for 'tis not feeling, This standing motionless upon the golden Threshold of the wide-open gate of dreams, Gazing, entranced, adown the gorgeous vista, And thrilling as I see, upon the right, Upon the left, and all the way along, Amid empurpled vapors, far away To where the prospect terminates-thee only!
Poems by Poe, Edgar Allan View in context
She moved not, massive and shapeless like a recumbent statue in the rough; he remembered her wide-open eyes looking into the empty room.
The Secret Agent by Conrad, Joseph View in context
A veteran politician, such as he, would never fall asleep with wide-open eyes, lest some enemy or mischief-maker, taking him thus at unawares, should peep through these windows into his consciousness, and make strange discoveries among the remniniscences, projects, hopes, apprehensions, weaknesses, and strong points, which he has heretofore shared with nobody.
House Of Seven Gables by Hawthorne, Nathaniel View in context
More results
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.