widespread
adjective
wide·spread
ˈwīd-ˈspred 
1
: widely diffused or prevalent
widespread public interest
2
: widely extended or spread out
… low, widespread hood and fenders …—
Time
Timea widespread erosion surface—C. B. Hitchcock
C. B. HitchcockExamples of widespread in a Sentence
There is widespread public interest in the election.
Trade partners had become more widespread.
There was widespread opposition to the plan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Residents file class-action lawsuit against tank owner Two residents, a couple who live in the evacuation zone, filed a lawsuit Saturday against GKN Aerospace, alleging the company negligently stored and handled MMA, which led to widespread disruptions for their community.
—Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
The fund has drawn widespread outrage from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has offered no clear guidance on who would qualify for the money, or how it will be distributed.
—Miami Herald, 24 May 2026
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
But hallucinated references in real studies produced by humans could be just as widespread, and potentially even harder to track down.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for widespread
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Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
The fund has drawn widespread outrage from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has offered no clear guidance on who would qualify for the money, or how it will be distributed.
—Miami Herald, 24 May 2026
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
But hallucinated references in real studies produced by humans could be just as widespread, and potentially even harder to track down.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for widespread
Cite this Entry
“Widespread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widespread. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
widespread
adjective
wide·spread
ˈwīd-ˈspred
1
: scattered or found over a wide area
widespread interest in the election
2
: spread out over a wide area
widespread wings
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