wide ‧ spread W3 AC /ˈwaɪdspred/ BrE AmE adjective
existing or happening in many places or situations, or among many people:
the widespread use of chemicals in agriculture
widespread support/acceptance/criticism/condemnation etc
There was widespread support for the war.
The storm caused widespread damage.
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THESAURUS
▪ common if something is common, there are a lot of them:
Jones is a very common name in Great Britain.
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Foxes are common in the area.
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Personal computers are nearly as common in American homes as televisions.
▪ widespread happening in a lot of places or done by a lot of people:
Racism is much more widespread than people imagine.
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The report claimed that the problem of police brutality was widespread.
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the widespread availability of antibiotics
▪ commonplace [not before noun] especially written common in a particular place or time – used especially when saying that this seems surprising or unusual:
Crimes such as robbery are commonplace in big cities.
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Expensive foreign cars are commonplace in this Chicago suburb.
▪ prevalent formal common in a place or among a group of people – used especially about illnesses, problems, or ideas:
Flu is most prevalent during the winter months.
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Depression remains one of the most prevalent health disorders in the US.
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This belief is more prevalent among men than women.
▪ rife /raɪf/ [not before noun] very common – used about illnesses or problems:
AIDS is rife in some parts of the world.
▪ ubiquitous /juːˈbɪkwətəs, juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/ formal very common and seen in many different places – often used humorously in written descriptions:
He was carrying the ubiquitous MP3 player.
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In Britain, CCTV cameras are ubiquitous.
▪ something is everywhere especially spoken used when saying that you can see something a lot in many different places:
Images of the dictator were everywhere.
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Microchips seem to be everywhere these days – even in washing machines.
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One of the first things you notice in Amsterdam are the bicycles – they’re everywhere.