I. broad 1 S2 W2 /brɔːd $ brɒːd/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: brad ]
1 . WIDE a road, river, or part of someone’s body etc that is broad is wide OPP narrow ⇨ breadth :
We went along a broad passage.
He was six feet tall, with broad shoulders.
six feet/three metres etc broad
The room is three metres long and two metres broad.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say wide rather than broad :
▪
a wide river/street/corridor
▪
They sell a wide range of bikes.
Broad , however, is always used when descibing someone's shoulders or back.
2 . INCLUDING A LOT including many different kinds of things or people OPP narrow ⇨ breadth :
The show aims to reach the broadest possible audience.
broad range/spectrum
Students here study a broad range of subjects.
broad category/field/area etc
Private pension schemes fall into two broad categories.
a party which lacks a broad base of political support
The play is a comedy, in the broadest sense of the word.
3 . GENERAL concerning the main ideas or parts of something rather than all the details:
The client should understand, in broad terms, the likely cost of the case.
broad consensus/agreement etc
The members were in broad agreement.
broad outline/framework
I’ll give you a broad outline of the plan.
4 . LARGE AREA covering a large area:
a broad expanse of water
5 . WAY OF SPEAKING a broad ↑ accent clearly shows where you come from SYN strong :
a broad Scottish accent
6 . broad smile/grin a big smile:
Abby came in with a broad smile on her face.
7 . in broad daylight if something, especially a crime, happens in broad daylight, it happens in the daytime and in public:
The attack happened in broad daylight, in one of the busiest parts of town.
8 . broad hint a ↑ hint (=suggestion) that is very clear and easy to understand:
In June he gave a broad hint that he might retire.
9 . a broad church British English an organization that contains a wide range of opinions:
The Labour Party has to be a broad church.
10 . HUMOUR broad humour is rather rude or concerned with sex
11 . broad in the beam informal having large or fat ↑ hip s
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ broad + NOUN
▪ a broad range
Sport is a part of a broad range of activities that we call leisure.
▪ a broad spectrum (=range)
Among the public there is a broad spectrum of opinion.
▪ a broad category
Our range of programmes fall into three broad categories.
▪ a broad area/field (=including a lot of different things)
Psychobiology is a broad area covering many different topics.
▪ a broad cross-section (=a varied group that is typical of a larger varied group)
We offer entertainment to appeal to a broad cross-section of people.
▪ a broad base
The course is designed to provide a broad base for students looking to work in IT.
▪ a broad alliance/coalition
The government was a broad alliance of eight political parties.
▪ a broad curriculum (=one that includes a range of subjects)
Students are encouraged to follow a broad curriculum in the first year.
▪ have broad appeal (=be attractive to many different types of people)
Their music has a very broad appeal.
II. broad 2 BrE AmE noun [countable] American English spoken not polite
an offensive word for a woman