widen

verb

wid·​en ˈwī-dᵊn 

widened; widening 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

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

Options considered during the analysis included drilling holes in the existing piles and adding more steel inside, or widening the pile caps so more piles could be added on the outside. — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2026

Americans began turning to Democrats over Republicans after the start of the war but the gap has widened as the conflict has continued with no end in sight. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

High-poverty districts that rely on E-Rate to cover up to 90% of network costs warn cuts would force staff and program reductions and widen existing educational inequities. — Linda Jacobson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

The area may be seen as particularly favorable because the highway has been widened, offering easy access to Omaha to the northeast, and to the college town of Lincoln to the southwest. — Will Weissert, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for widen

• poseidon

Kids Definition

widen

verb

wid·​en ˈwīd-ᵊn 

widened; widening ˈwīd-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become wide or wider : broaden