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
O'Brien, who's widely celebrated for The Maze Runner films and MTV's Teen Wolf series, most recently starred in Send Help, a survivalist drama with Rachel McAdams that debuted in January.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
In the past few years, baseball has felt more widely popular, and there are numbers to back it up.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Prolific Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer is credited for the season premiere episode’s music instead of British artist Labrinth, who wrote the music for the first two seasons and was widely credited with giving the show a melodically unique identity.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
The clip naturally circulated widely on social media.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widely
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Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
In the past few years, baseball has felt more widely popular, and there are numbers to back it up.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Prolific Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer is credited for the season premiere episode’s music instead of British artist Labrinth, who wrote the music for the first two seasons and was widely credited with giving the show a melodically unique identity.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
The clip naturally circulated widely on social media.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widely
Cite this Entry
“Widely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widely. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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