1
: over or through a wide area
has traveled widely
2
: to a great extent
departed widely from the previous edition
3
: by or among a large well-dispersed group of people
a widely known political figure
4
: over a broad range
persons with widely fluctuating incomes—
Current Biography
Current BiographyExamples of widely in a Sentence
Their products are widely available.
a widely known political figure
The books are widely read by adults as well as children.
Recent Examples on the Web
The right to citizenship at birth has long been a bedrock principle in the United States, widely accepted to have been granted by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in 1868.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2025
His steps toward those charges had been widely reported in the news media before May of 2024, and the fierce pushback from Israel and its allies was well known in diplomatic circles.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
His nomination was widely seen as a gesture to the left ahead of further delicate cross-party budget negotiations.
—CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
ICEBlock, the most widely used of the ICE-tracking apps in Apple’s app store, is among the apps that have been taken down.
—Danny Bakst, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widely
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Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2025
His steps toward those charges had been widely reported in the news media before May of 2024, and the fierce pushback from Israel and its allies was well known in diplomatic circles.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
His nomination was widely seen as a gesture to the left ahead of further delicate cross-party budget negotiations.
—CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
ICEBlock, the most widely used of the ICE-tracking apps in Apple’s app store, is among the apps that have been taken down.
—Danny Bakst, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widely
Cite this Entry
“Widely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widely. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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