broad

Noun · Adjective

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. slang term for a woman“a broad is a woman who can throw a mean punch”

Adjective (8)

  1. having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other“wide roads”“a wide necktie”“wide margins”“three feet wide”“a river two miles broad”“broad shoulders”“a broad river”Synonyms: wide
  2. broad in scope or content“across-the-board pay increases”“an all-embracing definition”“blanket sanctions against human-rights violators”“an invention with broad applications”“a panoptic study of Soviet nationality — T.G.Winner”“granted him wide powers”Synonyms: across-the-boardall-embracingall-encompassingall-inclusiveblanket(a)encompassingextensivepanopticwide
  3. not detailed or specific“a broad rule”“the broad outlines of the plan”“felt an unspecific dread”Synonyms: unspecific
  4. lacking subtlety; obvious“gave us a broad hint that it was time to leave”Synonyms: unsubtle
  5. being at a peak or culminating point“broad daylight”“full summer”Synonyms: broad(a)full(a)
  6. very large in expanse or scope“a broad lawn”“the wide plains”“a spacious view”“spacious skies”Synonyms: spaciouswide
  7. (of speech) heavily and noticeably regional“a broad southern accent”
  8. showing or characterized by broad-mindedness“a broad political stance”“generous and broad sympathies”“a liberal newspaper”“tolerant of his opponent's opinions”Synonyms: large-mindedliberaltolerant
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Broad \Broad\ (br[add]d), a. [Compar. Broader (br[add]d"[~e]r); superl. Broadest.] [OE. brod, brad, AS. br[=a]d; akin to OS. br[=e]d, D. breed, G. breit, Icel. brei[eth]r, Sw. & Dan. bred, Goth. braids. Cf. Breadth.]

1.Wide; extend in breadth, or from side to side; -- opposed to narrow; as, a broad street, a broad table; an inch broad. [1913 Webster]

2.Extending far and wide; extensive; vast; as, the broad expanse of ocean. [1913 Webster]

3.Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full. "Broad and open day." --Bp. Porteus. [1913 Webster]

4.Fig.: Having a large measure of any thing or quality; not limited; not restrained; -- applied to any subject, and retaining the literal idea more or less clearly, the precise meaning depending largely on the substantive. [1913 Webster]

A broad mixture of falsehood.— Locke.[1913 Webster]

Note: Hence: [1913 Webster]

5.Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged. [1913 Webster]

The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.— D. Daggett.[1913 Webster]
In a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way.— E. Everett.[1913 Webster]

6.Plain; evident; as, a broad hint. [1913 Webster]

7.Free; unrestrained; unconfined. [1913 Webster]

As broad and general as the casing air.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

8.(Fine Arts) Characterized by breadth. See Breadth. [1913 Webster]

9.Cross; coarse; indelicate; as, a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humor. [1913 Webster]

10.Strongly marked; as, a broad Scotch accent. [1913 Webster]

Note: Broad is often used in compounds to signify wide, large, etc.; as, broad-chested, broad-shouldered, broad-spreading, broad-winged. [1913 Webster]

Broad acres. See under Acre.

Broad arrow, originally a pheon. See Pheon, and Broad arrow under Arrow.

As broad as long, having the length equal to the breadth; hence, the same one way as another; coming to the same result by different ways or processes. [1913 Webster]

It is as broad as long, whether they rise to others, or bring others down to them.— L'Estrange.[1913 Webster]

Broad pennant. See under Pennant. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Wide; large; ample; expanded; spacious; roomy; extensive; vast; comprehensive; liberal. [1913 Webster]


Broad \Broad\, n.

1.The broad part of anything; as, the broad of an oar. [1913 Webster]

2.The spread of a river into a sheet of water; a flooded fen. [Local, Eng.] --Southey. [1913 Webster]

3.A lathe tool for turning down the insides and bottoms of cylinders. --Knight. [1913 Webster]

4.A woman, especially one who is sexually promiscuous; -- usually considered offensive. [slang] [PJC] broad-axe Broadaxe Broadax

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