widespread

adjective wide·spread \ ˈwīd-ˈspred \

Definition of widespread

1 :widely diffused or prevalent

widespread public interest

2 :widely extended or spread out

low, widespread hood and fenders
—Time

a widespread erosion surface
—C. B. Hitchcock

See widespread defined for English-language learners

See widespread defined for kids

Examples of widespread in a Sentence

There is widespread public interest in the election.
Trade partners had become more widespread.
There was widespread opposition to the plan.

Recent Examples of widespread from the Web

London's naturally moist and foggy climate had also grown smoky and sooty from industrial pollution and widespread burning of coal.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: Is 'smog' a combination of 'smoke' and 'fog'?," 30 Aug. 2017
While Amazon and Microsoft have released digital assistant apps for mobile devices running Google and Apple software, the apps are not as widespread and using them is usually not as effortless as the ones Apple and Google build into their devices.

— nick wingfield, New York Times, "‘Cortana, Open Alexa,’ Amazon Says. And Microsoft Agrees.," 30 Aug. 2017
While Amazon and Microsoft have released digital-assistant apps for mobile devices running Google and Apple software, the apps are not as widespread and using them is usually not as effortless as the ones Apple and Google build into their devices.

— nick wingfield, The Seattle Times, "‘Cortana, open Alexa,’ Amazon says — and Microsoft agrees," 29 Aug. 2017
More widespread and heavier rain will be possible on Thursday, and forecasters will be on guard for the possibility of flooding.

— leigh morgan, AL.com, "Tropical Storm Harvey: What to expect in Alabama," 29 Aug. 2017
The County’s egregious and widespread unfair labor practices have provoked this strike.

— joshua stewart, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego County's biggest union warns of strike," 25 Aug. 2017
Despite its newfound fame, widespread acceptance of ironweeds as everyday garden plants continued to be elusive.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "Ironweeds. How this old field weed turned into a garden gem," 18 Aug. 2017
More than two years later, the Baltimore Ceasefire drew widespread attention, too.

— donna owens, Essence.com, "A 'Ceasefire' In Baltimore May Launch A Movement To End Gun Violence In American Cities," 10 Aug. 2017
At minimum, scientists conducting this research should confront its ethical dilemmas and offer sufficient justification for studies that may draw widespread opposition and fear.

— james kath, Scientific American Blog Network, "Brave New World? Not Even Close," 2 Aug. 2017

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