widen

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verb wid·en \ ˈwī-dᵊn \

Definition of widen

widened; widening play \ˈwīd-niŋ, ˈwī-dᵊn-iŋ\

transitive verb

:to increase the width, scope, or extent of

widen a road

widen an investigation

intransitive verb

:to become wide or wider

a widening gap

—

widener

play \ˈwīd-nər, ˈwī-dᵊn-ər\ noun

See widen defined for English-language learners

See widen defined for kids

Examples of widen in a Sentence

The city is going to widen the road.
They plan to widen the investigation.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
They went swimming at a spot where the river widens.
The scope of the investigation has widened.

Recent Examples of widen from the Web

This week, though, is more for broadening, for widening, for deepening.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of August 14," 14 Aug. 2017
This had the effect of widening the divide between them and the rest of the league year after year, making their dominance a self-fulfilling prophecy.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "How Can You Rationalize Spending $500 Million on a Soccer Player?," 4 Aug. 2017
A construction project that will widen the last narrow stretch of East Valley Parkway at its most northern point in Escondido is set to begin within a couple of months, city officials said.

— j. harry jones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Escondido's East Valley Parkway widening to start soon," 14 July 2017
By sending Mr López home, Mr Maduro may hope to widen divisions within the opposition, which has no single leader.

— The Economist, "The homecoming kingWhat the unjailing of Leopoldo López means for Venezuela," 13 July 2017
Very little filling should be visible; the dough will shrink, and these gaps will widen as pie bakes.

— rick martinez, Bon Appetit, "BA's Best Blueberry Pie," 10 July 2017
Widening I-71 in Jefferson County from the Watterson Expressway to the Gene Snyder to six lanes.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "What's ranked Kentucky's most worthy road project? Widening stretch of Gene Snyder Freeway," 5 July 2017
The Vernon Hills widening project takes over at the Hawthorn Mall entry road, according to Brown.

— rick kambic, chicagotribune.com, "Summer road projects will impact motorists in central Lake County," 30 June 2017
Belitsky said the changes will complement the state's work to widen nearby Canal Road to five lanes.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Tolls slashed on bridge to Alabama beaches through Labor Day," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'widen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of widen

1640

WIDEN Defined for English Language Learners

widen

play

verb

Definition of widen for English Language Learners

: to make (something) wide or wider
: to become wide or wider

WIDEN Defined for Kids

widen

play

verb wid·en \ ˈwī-dᵊn \

Definition of widen for Students

widened; widening

:to make or become wide or wider

The road is being widened.

Learn More about widen

See words that rhyme with widen Spanish Central: Translation of widen Nglish: Translation of widen for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of widen for Arabic speakers

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widen

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widener

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WIDEN Defined for English Language Learners

widen

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widen

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