51Թ

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View synonyms for

wide-open

[wahyd-oh-puhn]

adjective

  1. opened to the full extent.

    a wide-open window.

  2. lacking laws or strict enforcement of laws concerning liquor, vice, gambling, etc..

    a wide-open town.



wide-open

adjective

  1. open to the full extent

  2. (postpositive) exposed to attack; vulnerable

  3. uncertain as to outcome

  4. 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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of wide-open1

First recorded in 1850–55
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Idioms and Phrases

Unresolved, unsettled, as in The fate of that former colony is still wide open . [Mid-1900s]

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 .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In a wide-open land founded and fueled by grifters and fabulists, the woman who is allergic to B.S. is . . . not exactly queen, but a welcome visitor and useful friend.

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Sunday, those misses included layups and wide-open threes.

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It’s impossible to know if the heavy legs mattered when Reaves missed wide-open three-point attempts.

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Also on Tuesday, world number one Judd Trump and Masters champion Shaun Murphy will get their campaigns under way at a wide-open World Championship.

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He had a two-handed dunk and found a wide-open Christian Koloko under the basket.

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widenwide-ranging