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far and wide

far and wide

27 2.6
In many places across a large area
  • idiom
translation icon : por todas partes
  • People came from far and wide to attend the festival this year.
  • spread far and wide
  • searched far and wide
  • reach far and wide

But no, the show will be available far and wide and free.

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Examples

  • We have gone far and wide to bring in the best of the best.

    Academic text (2001)
  • People will come from far and wide, just to see what we're all about.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • But no, the show will be available far and wide and free.

  • Our team is now spread far and wide, but does this mean that we actually stopped working?

  • People came from far and wide.

  • Beyond his own experience with her, her reputation had spread far and wide.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Dr. Dolittle's reputation spread far and wide.

  • Very often, thousands come to Fayetteville from far and wide to witness this impressive ceremony.

    Academic text (1996)
  • She's going to search far and wide for a family to adopt Shadow.

  • General Edward has led countless crusades and is known far and wide for his bravery.

Synonyms

all over
vsfar and wide
1.0

In every part of a place

refers to presence across many distant places rather than within one area
wide
vsfar and wide
132 1.0

As far apart or open as possible

emphasizes presence in many separate places across great distances instead
extensively
vsfar and wide
87 4.1

In a way that covers a large area or includes many parts

focuses on many separate places across wide distances rather than deep thoroughness
widely
vsfar and wide
26 1.0

With a lot of space between things

is about presence in many places across distances rather than object spacing
far and near
vsfar and wide
1 3.7

It happens in many places both near and far

is used for many places across large distances but less absolute

Antonyms

127 1.4

In a particular area or community rather than in the whole country

How Widely

worldwide
213 2.1
far and wide
27 2.6
nationally
160 3.0
regionally
9 4.0
locally
127 1.4

Surface Forms

far and wide positive

Morphology

far + and + wide

The sense 'throughout a large area' is directly and predictably built from 'far' (at a long distance) + 'wide' (over a large extent), with 'and' simply combining them to intensify distribution. This is a transparent, compositional pattern (cf. German 'weit und breit') and a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase far and wide comes from a simple picture: something going far, meaning a long distance, and wide, meaning across a large area, like news or seeds spreading over a field. So it means 'in many places' or 'everywhere'.