widen

verb wid·en \ ˈwī-dᵊn \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

Caltrans also is laying plans to widen or replace the I-5 bridges over the American River north of downtown to accommodate larger trucks, but no date has been set for that work.

— tony bizjak, sacbee, "I-5 is ‘falling apart,’ and a massive fix is coming. Drivers, buckle up. | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Apr. 2018
Not surprisingly, editors at Titanic are among those wanting to widen the guardrails on free expression.

— sara miller llana, The Christian Science Monitor, "Is Germany’s bold new law a way to clean up the internet or is it stifling free expression?," 8 Apr. 2018
The sweeping language justifying the sanctions, and the fact that the penalties squarely target key members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, is likely to further widen a growing rift between Trump and Moscow.

— zeeshan aleem, Vox, "Trump’s new Russia sanctions show his rift with Putin is widening," 6 Apr. 2018
The orders come as the gap between shipping capacity and freight demand appears to be widening.

— paul page, WSJ, "Truck Orders in High Gear, U.S. Farms Rethink Production, Metals Cool Down," 5 Apr. 2018
Two car lanes on southbound state Route 67 from Archie Moore Road to the Cal Fire station are being reduced to one lane to widen the adjacent shoulder as part of $1.5 million in projects intended to make the highway safer.

— julie gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Roadwork aims to improve SR-67 safety," 4 Apr. 2018
Mansfield is planning to widen Day Miar Road to a four-lane undivided roadway from East Broad Street south to Seeton Road, which impacts all three schools.

— nicholas sakelaris, star-telegram, "What's that gonna be: Mansfield's Shops at Broad project grows, including StarCenter | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 2 Apr. 2018
That said, other dishes set a baseline for variety and basic satisfaction that ought to widen the net the Warbler is casting.

— mike sula, Chicago Reader, "Stop the presses: There’s an interesting new spot in Lincoln Square," 29 Mar. 2018
And one candidate in Santa Barbara County wants to widen Highway 101 to give residents some relief.

— john wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle, "Santa Barbara House candidate tries to prove maxim: All politics is local," 16 Mar. 2018

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

1566

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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WIDEN Defined for English Language Learners

widen

verb

Definition of widen for English Language Learners

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

WIDEN Defined for Kids

widen

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

Definition of widen

widener

Examples of widen in a Sentence

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First Known Use of widen

WIDEN Defined for English Language Learners

widen

Definition of widen for English Language Learners

WIDEN Defined for Kids

widen

Definition of widen for Students

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widen

Definition of widen

widener

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First Known Use of widen

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