Phrase guide

far and wide

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Over a great distance or large area; nearly everywhere.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

over great areas or distances; everywhere

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he traveled far and wide
  • the news spread far and wide
  • people came from far and near
  • searched for the child far and near

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: far and near

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English fer and wide (“far and wide”). Compare Middle English wide and side, widen and siden (“far and wide”), from Old English wīde and sīde (“far and wide”).

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 到處 /到处 (dàochù) — over a great distance or large area
  • Dutch: wijd en zijd — over a great distance or large area
  • Finnish: laajalti — over a great distance or large area
  • French: partout — over a great distance or large area
  • Italian: in lungo e in largo — over a great distance or large area
  • Latin: vagē — over a great distance or large area
  • Polish: wzdłuż i wszerz — over a great distance or large area
  • Romanian: în lung și în lat — over a great distance or large area
  • Sanskrit: बृहत् (bṛhat) — over a great distance or large area
  • Scottish Gaelic: fad is farsaing — over a great distance or large area
  • Spanish: por todas partes — over a great distance or large area