broad
broad — adjective
- broadpositive
- broadercomparative
- broadestsuperlative
1. Something broad stretches a long way across, so it looks wide rather than narrow
Something broad stretches a long way across, so it looks wide rather than narrow.
Tunde carried a broad tray of tea through the hotel lobby.
broad + noun for physical width
The farmer stood in the broad doorway and waved us inside.
A broad river cut the village off from the nearest station.
James has broad shoulders from years of rowing before school.
common collocation: broad shoulders
- broad river
- broad shoulders
- broad doorway
- broad smile
- narrow
opposite in side-to-side width
Grammar Patterns
broad + noun
be + broad
Usage Note
Common before nouns such as shoulders, road, doorway, and river. After be, it points to side-to-side size rather than overall area or length.
Common Mistakes
2. Placed after a number, broad states the width that something measures across.
Placed after a number, broad states the width that something measures across.
The garden path is two metres broad beside the kitchen wall.
number + unit + broad
Mark asked how broad the table was before renting the truck.
how broad + be + noun
At its widest point, the canal is thirty metres broad.
The shelf needs to be sixty centimetres broad for both speakers.
- metres broad
- feet broad
- how broad
- broad at its widest point
Grammar Patterns
number + unit + broad
how broad + be + noun
Usage Note
Used only after a number or in questions about width. Before a noun, broad returns to the physical-width meaning in sense 1.
Common Mistakes
3. A broad subject, view, or amount includes many different kinds of things instead
A broad subject, view, or amount includes many different kinds of things instead of only a small part.
The report gives a broad picture of housing problems in Taipei.
broad picture of + topic
Professor Lin has broad experience in training new science teachers.
The charity received broad support from parents, shops, and local schools.
broad support from several groups
Ritu read a broad range of articles before choosing a research topic.
- broad range
- broad support
- broad experience
- broad picture
- broad outline
Grammar Patterns
broad + range/support/experience
broad + picture/view + of
Usage Note
Usually modifies nouns such as range, support, outline, agreement, and experience. It stresses coverage, not the detailed completeness that comprehensive suggests.
Common Mistakes
4. A broad accent is so strongly regional that listeners can quickly tell where the
A broad accent is so strongly regional that listeners can quickly tell where the speaker comes from.
Jisoo laughed when the actor used a broad Glasgow accent.
broad + regional accent
The tour guide's broad accent grew stronger after two cups of cider.
Caio could follow the lesson, but the guest speaker's broad accent slowed the class down.
The interview kept subtitles because the fisherman spoke with a broad accent.
with a broad accent
- broad accent
- broad dialect
- speak with a broad accent
- neutral
shows little obvious regional color
Grammar Patterns
broad + accent
with a broad + accent
Usage Note
Most often used with accent or dialect. It suggests regional speech is strong enough for listeners to notice immediately.
Common Mistakes
5. Broad humour uses very obvious jokes and easy physical or sexual comedy rather t
Broad humour uses very obvious jokes and easy physical or sexual comedy rather than subtle wit.
The play relied on broad jokes about bad dates and cheap hotels.
broad jokes = obvious, unsubtle humour
Esme prefers subtle satire, so the film's broad humour felt childish.
The comic used broad physical comedy to entertain the children.
broad physical comedy
Christopher groaned at the broad bedroom jokes in the radio show.
- broad humour
- broad joke
- broad comedy
- broad laugh
- subtle
requires more thought and is less obvious
- sophisticated
more refined in style and audience appeal
Grammar Patterns
broad + humour
broad + joke/comedy
Usage Note
Usually used for comedy, humour, or jokes. It often suggests the material is unsubtle rather than clever or carefully observed.
Common Mistakes
6. A broad hint makes the speaker's real wish so clear that little is left to guess
A broad hint makes the speaker's real wish so clear that little is left to guess.
Indra dropped a broad hint about wanting concert tickets for her birthday.
drop a broad hint
The editor gave a broad hint that the ending needed fewer speeches.
give a broad hint that-clause
After three broad hints, the guests finally started putting on their coats.
Shirin smiled and offered a broad hint about the empty coffee jar.
- broad hint
- give a broad hint
- drop a broad hint
Grammar Patterns
broad + hint
give/drop a broad hint
Usage Note
Most common in the phrase broad hint. It implies the speaker is almost saying the thing directly, not leaving much for the listener to infer.
Common Mistakes
7. A broad group or attitude is ready to accept many kinds of people, ideas, or opi
A broad group or attitude is ready to accept many kinds of people, ideas, or opinions.
The new committee stayed broad enough to include teachers and street artists.
broad enough to include different groups
Eli admired the church's broad attitude toward families from different backgrounds.
The movement kept a broad platform so several small groups could join.
The club wants a broad base of members, not one political camp.
broad base of members
- broad church
- broad attitude
- broad platform
- broad base
- tolerant
focuses on accepting views or behavior you may not share
- inclusive
emphasizes actively making room for different kinds of people
- open-minded
often used of individuals as well as groups
- narrow-minded
unwilling to accept different opinions or lifestyles
- exclusive
designed for a limited group and not welcoming others
Grammar Patterns
broad + attitude/platform/base
broad enough + to-infinitive
Usage Note
Often used for organizations, alliances, or attitudes rather than single actions. It stresses willingness to include different opinions, beliefs, or groups.
a broad church
idioma group or organization that deliberately includes people with quite different opinions or backgrounds
The neighborhood choir is a broad church with teenagers, retirees, and nurses.
Their party tries to stay a broad church instead of chasing one narrow group.
(in) broad daylight
idiomin the bright part of the day when everyone can easily see what is happening
Two men stole the scooter in broad daylight outside the bakery.
The attack happened in broad daylight while shoppers crossed the square.
used to say that two choices are so similar that neither gives a real advantage
Take the train or drive; it's as broad as it's long.
Blue paint or green paint, it's as broad as it's long for me.
to describe a whole group in a simple general way and ignore the differences inside it
The report paints rural schools with a broad brush and misses local differences.
Commentators often paint teenagers with a broad brush after one bad incident.
broad — noun
- broadsingular
- broadsplural
1. an old-fashioned insulting name used for a woman
an old-fashioned insulting name used for a woman
The supervisor was fired after calling a customer a broad.
call + someone + a broad
In the novel, the gangster keeps using broad for every woman he meets.
The guide explains that broad now sounds insulting and old-fashioned.
broad as sexist slang
Rita told her son never to call any woman a broad.
- call someone a broad
- use broad for a woman
- dame
also old-fashioned and can sound rude, but usually less directly insulting
Grammar Patterns
call + someone + a broad
use broad for + woman
Usage Note
Old-fashioned and insulting. It usually appears in quotations, fiction, or discussion of sexist language rather than careful modern speech.
Word family
- broadlyadverbB2
- broadenverbC1
- breadthnounC1
- broad-mindedadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/3
For the WIDE SCOPE sense, broad often suggests a range that reaches across many areas without claiming to cover every detail. Wide is close and common, but it can feel a little more physical or neutral: a wide range of products sounds natural, while broad support or broad agreement sounds slightly more abstract. General highlights the lack of detail more than the size of the range. Extensive is stronger and more formal, often for experience, research, or damage. Comprehensive implies careful completeness, not just reach. You might say a report gives a broad overview, a teacher has extensive experience, or a handbook offers comprehensive guidance.
Common collocations
Nouns
- broad range
- broad support
- broad accent
- broad smile
Adverbs
- remarkably broad
- fairly broad
Phrases
- in broad daylight
- a broad church
- broad enough to
Prepositions
- broad in outlook
- broad across the shoulders
Etymology
Broad comes from Old English brad, which meant 'wide' or 'spread out'. It goes back to an older Germanic root also seen in related forms in Dutch and German. The earliest meaning was physical width, and later uses grew from that image: a broad view covers a wide area of thought, a broad accent is strongly marked, and a broad hint leaves little hidden.
First known use
12th century
12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Adverb