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wide open

wide open

127 2.3
Completely open and available with nothing stopping access
  • adjective
translation icon : abierto
  • "It's an area that is wide open for research," he says.
  • doors wide open
  • eyes wide open
  • leave options wide open

And therefore, it's just wide open for for kind of the taking.

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Examples

  • The field was wide open, giving the players plenty of space to run and play.

  • The freeways were wide open.

  • And therefore, it's just wide open for for kind of the taking.

  • His door was wide open.

  • There is a door, and it is wide open if you just take a second look.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The economy is booming, the job market is wide open, the planet is just fine.

  • The door to the apartment was wide open; he hesitated a moment, then went in.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • For those reasons, the market socialists should leave their options wide open rather than sticking to a single model.

    Academic text (1994)
  • About 10:15, the pizza kid arrives... the door's wide open.

  • The Muslim Mosque, Inc. will remain wide open for ideas and financial aid from all quarters.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

open
vswide open
1.0

Not closed so people or things can go through

is fully available without limits or obstruction rather than partly unblocked
unrestricted
vswide open
24 4.1

Free from limits and control, it allows people to use or access

is fully accessible and ready to be used rather than only free to act
wide-open
vswide open
17 1.1

Completely open with nothing closed or covering it

is about full availability and freedom rather than only physical clearance

Antonyms

97 1.9

Having only a small, specific role in an activity

18 3.9

Limited so only certain people can see or use it

3 1.0

Shut so people cannot go in or see

How Open

wide open
127 2.3
to open
1.0
ajar
3 1.2
closed
3 1.0

Surface Forms

wide open positive

Morphology

wide + open

The meaning 'completely open, unrestricted' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'wide' (broad, to a great extent) with 'open' (not closed). This intensifying compositional pattern is straightforward and common, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand the MWE.

Etymology

Wide open uses a simple image: the words wide and open make us think of doors or windows pushed fully back so nothing blocks the way. So when a place or chance is wide open, it is 'completely open' or 'available' with no limits or barriers.