open wide

verb

To open one's mouth wide, to gape.

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Meanings

verbopen wide (third-person singular simple present opens wide, present participle opening wide, simple past and past participle opened wide)

present singular third person opens wide · participle present opening wide · participle past opened wide · past opened wide

  1. idiomaticintransitiveTo open one's mouth wide, to gape.
    1 more example

    2017, Jennifer S. Holland, For These Monkeys, It’s a Fight for Survival., National Geographic (March 2017)http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/03/macaques-monkeys-indonesia-endangered-pet-trade/ During my first day in the woods, Raoul, the big alpha male of Rambo II, opened wide to show me his dagger-sharp canines, then sauntered by and swatted my calf with a stick—letting me know my place in the social order. (Low.)

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see open, wide.

Translations

Hungarian tát, kitát
  • tátto fully open one's mouth
  • kitátto fully open one's mouth
Māori tārera
  • tārerato fully open one's mouth
Polish otwierać na oścież, otworzyć na oścież
  • otwierać na ościeżto fully open one's mouth
  • otworzyć na ościeżto fully open one's mouth
Vietnamese há mồm, há
  • há mồmto fully open one's mouth
  • háto fully open one's mouth
Cite this entry
APA

open wide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20wide

MLA

“open wide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20wide. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “open wide,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/open%20wide.

Source: open wide on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.