Wide vs. Big — What's the Difference?

Open to more than one interpretation.

Boasting or impressive.

Having a greater than average width.

Large in size or amount.

Fully open or extended.

Grown up or mature.

Extending over a large area from side to side.

Generous or magnanimous.

Broad in scope or content.

Important or significant.

Of great or more than average width

Of considerable size or extent

Including a great variety of people or things

Of considerable importance or seriousness

At a considerable or specified distance from an intended point or target

Generous

To the full extent

Praise or recommend something highly

Far from a particular or intended point or target

The major league in a professional sport

A ball that is judged to be too wide of the stumps for the batsman to play, for which an extra is awarded to the batting side.

Of considerable size, number, quantity, magnitude, or extent; large.

Having a specified extent from side to side

Having great strength or force

Extending over a great distance from side to side; broad

Of great significance; momentous

Having great extent or range; including much or many

Mature or grown-up

Fully open or extended

Older or eldest. Used especially of a sibling

To the side of or at a distance from a given boundary, limit, or goal

Filled up; brimming over

(Baseball) Outside.

Bountiful; generous

(Sports) Being toward or near one of the side boundaries of a playing area, such as a sideline on a football field.

Pregnant

Deviating or straying from something expected or specified

Having or exercising considerable authority, control, or influence

(Linguistics) Lax.

Conspicuous in position, wealth, or importance; prominent

Over a great distance; extensively

Loud and firm; resounding

To the full extent; completely.

(Informal) Widely liked, used, or practiced; popular

To the side of or at a distance from a given boundary, limit, or goal.

(Informal) Self-important; cocky

(Sports) Toward or near one of the sides of a playing area

In a pretentious or boastful way

A ball bowled outside of the batsman's reach, counting as a run for the batting team in cricket.

With considerable success

Having a large physical extent from side to side.

In a thorough or unmistakable way; emphatically

Large in scope.

Of great size, large.

(sports) Operating at the side of the playing area.

(informal) Fat.

On one side or the other of the mark; too far sideways from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.

Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce.

Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the organs in the mouth.

Old, mature. Used to imply that somebody is too old for something, or acting immaturely.

Vast, great in extent, extensive.

.informal Mature, conscientious, principled; generous.

(obsolete) Located some distance away; distant, far.

(informal) Important or significant.

(obsolete) Far from truth, propriety, necessity, etc.

Popular.

(computing) Of or supporting a greater range of text characters than can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.

(of a city) Populous.

Antagonistic, provocative.

(informal) Used as an intensifier, especially of negative-valence nouns

Extensively

Operating on a large scale, especially if therefore having undue or sinister influence.

Completely

Enthusiastic (about).

Away from or to one side of a given goal

In a loud manner.

So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.

In a boasting manner.

(cricket) A ball that passes so far from the batsman that the umpire deems it unplayable; the arm signal used by an umpire to signal a wide; the extra run added to the batting side's score

In a large amount or to a large extent.

Having considerable distance or extent between the sides; spacious across; much extended in a direction at right angles to that of length; not narrow; broad; as, wide cloth; a wide table; a wide highway; a wide bed; a wide hall or entry.

On a large scale, expansively.

Having a great extent every way; extended; spacious; broad; vast; extensive; as, a wide plain; the wide ocean; a wide difference.

Hard.

Of large scope; comprehensive; liberal; broad; as, wide views; a wide understanding.

An important or powerful person; a celebrity; a big name.

Of a certain measure between the sides; measuring in a direction at right angles to that of length; as, a table three feet wide.

(in the plural) The big leagues, big time.

Remote; distant; far.

(university slang) A initiated member of a sorority who acts as a mentor to a new member (the little).

Far from truth, from propriety, from necessity, or the like.

(BDSM) The participant in ageplay who acts out the older role.

On one side or the other of the mark; too far side-wise from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.

One or more kinds of barley, especially six-rowed barley.

Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the mouth organs; - opposed to primary as used by Mr. Bell, and to narrow as used by Mr. Sweet. The effect, as explained by Mr. Bell, is due to the relaxation or tension of the pharynx; as explained by Mr. Sweet and others, it is due to the action of the tongue. The wide of ē (ēve) is ĭ (ĭll); of ā (āte) is ĕ (ĕnd), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, 13-15.

To inhabit; occupy.

Having or showing a wide difference between the highest and lowest price, amount of supply, etc.; as, a wide opening; wide prices, where the prices bid and asked differ by several points.

To locate oneself.

To a distance; far; widely; to a great distance or extent; as, his fame was spread wide.

To build; erect; fashion.

So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.

To dwell; have a dwelling.

So as to be or strike far from, or on one side of, an object or purpose; aside; astray.

Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large.

That which is wide; wide space; width; extent.

Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; - often figuratively.

That which goes wide, or to one side of the mark.

Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride.

Having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other;

Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind.

Broad in scope or content;

To build.

(used of eyes) fully open or extended;

Above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent;

Very large in expanse or scope;

Significant;

Great in degree;

Of very great significance;

Great in range or scope;

Conspicuous in position or importance;

Having ample fabric;

Very intense;

Not on target;

Loud and firm;

With or by a broad space;

Prodigious;

To the fullest extent possible;

Marked by intense physical force;

Far from the intended target;

Feeling self-importance;

To or over a great extent or range; far;

Older brother or sister;

Exhibiting self-importance;

Generous and understanding and tolerant;

Given or giving freely;

In an advanced stage of pregnancy;

Extremely well;

In a boastful manner;

On a grand scale;

In a major way;

Wide refers to something that extends considerably from one side to another, emphasizing breadth.

"Wide" is particularly useful when discussing measurements or spatial attributes, such as wide roads, wide doors, or wide fields.

In many cultures, "big" is associated with prosperity and success, as seen in celebrations or descriptions of significant events and achievements.

For "wide," synonyms include broad, expansive, and extensive. For "big," synonyms are large, huge, and massive.

"Wide" often influences the perception of space, making areas appear more open or accessible, while "big" can make structures feel imposing or substantial.

While sometimes used interchangeably in casual speech, they focus on different aspects (breadth vs. overall size).

In photography, a wide angle lens is used to capture more of the scene from side to side.

Big often implies a major impact or presence, influencing perception significantly.

Big describes something large in size, capacity, or significance across various dimensions.

Describing a person as "wide" usually relates to their physical build, particularly their torso or shoulders, while calling someone "big" could refer to their overall stature, presence, or personality.