Definition
Width
Width measures how far across an object or region is in a stated direction.
What it means
Width tells how far across something is. On a rectangle, it is often drawn from side to side across the shorter direction, but that is only a convention. Read the label or stated direction instead of assuming which side is the width.
Remember it
Width is the across measurement: side to opposite side.
Example
A poster is labelled 14 cm wide and 9 cm high. The side-to-side distance named by the label is 14 cm, so the poster’s width is 14 cm.
Watch for
Width is not guaranteed to be the shortest side; the context decides which dimension the word names.
Common mix-up
Length and width are both distance measurements. Their names depend on how the object or diagram is described.
Exact meaning
Width is a linear measurement from one side of an object or region to the opposite side along a chosen direction. Labels such as length and width depend on the situation, so the wording or diagram must identify the intended dimension.