cast one's net wide
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To explore many options or opportunities
Literally: throw a fishing net over a large area
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
She cast her net wide when looking for a new job, applying to many different companies
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “cast one's net wide” mean?
To explore many options or opportunities Literally: throw a fishing net over a large area
Is “cast one's net wide” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.