broad — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Wide in extent or scope.

   Examples

   three feet broad

   the broad expanse of ocean

   More examples (6)

   Thus Falstaff, in Shakspeare, is a character of the broadest comedy, giving himself unreservedly to the senses, coolly ignoring the Reason, whilst he invokes its name, pretending to patriotism and to parental virtues, not with any intent to deceive, but only to make the fun perfect by enjoying the confusion betwixt reason and the negation of reason,—in other words, the rank rascaldom he is calling by its name.

   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.

   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".

   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.

   The criterion for positivity was determined for each antigen of each species applying a mixture model to the PP data which assumed two inherent Gaussian distributions: a narrow distribution or seronegatives, and a broader distribution of seropositives.

   To meet it, pro-democracy organizations, universities and law firms must bravely speak up against abuses of power while building the broadest possible coalition to stand up for fundamental rights.

2. Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full.

   Examples

   broad and open day

   crushing the minds of its victims in the broad and open day

3. Having a large measure of any thing or quality; unlimited; unrestrained.

   Examples

   a broad mixture of falsehood

4. Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.

   Examples

   The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.

   in a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way

5. Plain; evident.

   Examples

   a broad hint

6. General rather than specific.

   Examples

   to be in broad agreement

7. Unsubtle; obvious.

   Examples

   Lee: I wrote that line for you. Maeve: A bit broad, if you ask me.

8. Free; unrestrained; unconfined.

   Examples

   as broad and general as the casing air

9. Gross; coarse; indelicate.

   Usage

   • Dated

   Examples

   a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humour

10. Strongly regional.

    Usage

    • of an accent

    Examples

    She still has a broad Scottish accent, despite moving to California 20 years ago.

11. Velarized, i.e. not palatalized.

Noun

1. A shallow lake, one of a number of bodies of water in eastern Norfolk and Suffolk.

   Usage

   • UK usage

2. A lathe tool for turning down the insides and bottoms of cylinders.

3. A British gold coin worth 20 shillings, issued by the Commonwealth of England in 1656.

   Usage

   • UK usage
   • Historical

4. A kind of floodlight.

   Examples

   […] fresnel spotlights, old-type broads, sky-pans, cone-lights, etc.

   Some broads have barn doors (see page 115) to block gross light spill into other set areas; others have even an adjustable beam, […]

   More examples (1)

   Light bounced from large white surfaces (e.g., matte reflector boards, or a white ceiling). Floodlights include scoops, broads, floodlight, banks, internally reflected units, strip lights, and cyclorama lights.

5. A playing card.

   Usage

   • Archaic
   • Slang

   Examples

   I reckon as old Sol couldn't ha' lived without a pack of broads. If he couldn't find anybody to play with him, he'd play alone, […]

Noun

1. A prostitute, a woman of loose morals.

   Usage

   • US usage
   • Dated

   Examples

   “Now we go up Bowery Street look at broads. Me pay.”

2. A woman or girl.

   Usage

   • US usage
   • Dated
   • Slang

   Examples

   They always hook you in the end, them broads. This whole trouble is on account of a dame reads a book.

   Hey, man, Truck, you got to understand, she's a no class broad and you a gross son of a bitch. Naturally, she don't like you.

   More examples (2)

   The grunts resumed their bitching at the heat, the hills, and the lack of cold beer and hot broads.

   I mean, what the fuck. If a guy wants to get on with a broad on a more or less stable basis, who's to say to him no? Huh? A lot of these broads, you know, you just don't know, you know. I mean, a young woman in today's society, by the time she's 22–23, you don't know where the fuck she's been.

Adjective

1. having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

   Synonyms

   wide

   Examples

   wide roads

   a wide necktie

   More examples (5)

   wide margins

   three feet wide

   a river two miles broad

   broad shoulders

   a broad river

2. broad in scope or content

   Synonyms

   across-the-boardall-embracingall-encompassingall-inclusiveblanketencompassingextensivepanopticwide

   Examples

   across-the-board pay increases

   an all-embracing definition

   More examples (3)

   blanket sanctions against human-rights violators

   an invention with broad applications

   granted him wide powers

3. not detailed or specific

   Synonyms

   unspecific

   Examples

   a broad rule

   the broad outlines of the plan

   More examples (1)

   felt an unspecific dread

4. lacking subtlety; obvious

   Synonyms

   unsubtle

   Examples

   gave us a broad hint that it was time to leave

5. being at a peak or culminating point

   Synonyms

   full

   Examples

   broad daylight

   full summer

6. very large in expanse or scope

   Synonyms

   spaciouswide

   Examples

   a broad lawn

   the wide plains

   More examples (2)

   a spacious view

   spacious skies

7. (of speech) heavily and noticeably regional

   Examples

   a broad southern accent

8. showing or characterized by broad-mindedness

   Synonyms

   large-mindedliberaltolerant

   Examples

   a broad political stance

   generous and broad sympathies

   More examples (2)

   a liberal newspaper

   tolerant of his opponent's opinions

Noun

1. slang term for a woman

   Broader terms

   womanadult female

   Examples

   a broad is a woman who can throw a mean punch