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

Defense unravels late The Dodgers widened their lead to two runs but gave it up in the eighth on a pair of errors, including one on a sacrifice bunt. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

To this day, mainstream Democrats are attracted by pragmatic reforms such as the Affordable Care Act—which sought not to replace the entire American health-care system but to reform and widen access to it. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

The inclusion of a child-care plan reflects the widening appeal of free, universal options for parents seeking care for young children. — Simone Foxman, Fortune, 8 July 2026

That gap is widening, and the metrics reporting up the chain are not detecting it. — Kevin Cushnie, Forbes.com, 8 July 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