widen

verb

wid·en ˈwī-dᵊn

widened; widening ˈwīd-niŋ

ˈwī-dᵊn-iŋ

Synonyms of widen next

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

ˈwīd-nər

ˈwī-dᵊn-ər

noun

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 on the Web The yen fell to a fresh 10-month low against the dollar Thursday after the Federal Reserve’s rate projections suggested that the interest-rate gap between the U.S. and Japan would widen further. —

Megumi Fujikawa, WSJ, 21 Sep. 2023 The balance of military power across the strait tilts heavily in favor of Beijing, and the gap continues to widen. —

Hou Yu-Ih, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2023 The verdict quickly erupted into a political volcano in the Capitol, widening the rift between House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate. —

Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 16 Sep. 2023 Read full article From its modest beginnings in the first days of September, Lee traveled more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, widening to a huge size and reaching Category 5 hurricane intensity with 165 mph winds well away from land on Sept. 8. —

Jenna Russell, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023 The second set was close, but Maryvale (2-1, 1-0) managed to get a block from Samantha Elliott, a kill from Gogol and an ace from Kaitlyn Hall to widen the lead to 12-8. —

Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023 Editor’s picks But as a songwriter, Valley of Heart’s Delight represents a profound leap forward, exploring darker territory that both sharpens and widens her scope as a storyteller. —

Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2023 Because of this, authorities widened their 2-mile search to south of their original perimeter. —

Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2023 Kate was introduced to representatives from the company that has helped the charity widen its work in the area. —

Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'widen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.