Vocabulary > What is the difference between wide and broad?

Vocabulary > What is the difference between wide and broad?

Something that is wide or broad measures a large distance from one side to the other. You can say that something such as a street or river is wide. Broad is usually used to describe an area such as land or sky.

They live on a wide, tree-lined street.

The road passed through a broad expanse of flooded fields.

Wide is more common in conversation than `broad’.

The river was so wide I couldn’t jump over it.

When you are talking about objects, you usually say that they are wide rather than `broad’.

In the centre of the room was a wide bed.

The men came out through a wide doorway.

When you are talking about parts of someone’s body, you usually use broad rather than `wide’.

He was tall, with broad shoulders.

She gave me a broad smile.