widespread
adjective
wide·spread
ˈwīd-ˈspred 
1
: widely diffused or prevalent
widespread public interest
2
: widely extended or spread out
… low, widespread hood and fenders …—
Time
Timea widespread erosion surface—C. B. Hitchcock
C. B. HitchcockExamples 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 on the Web
What first appeared to be a common job-interview phishing campaign ultimately revealed a hack so widespread and easy to replicate that investigators fear irreversible damage.
—Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2026
Price shocks from Russia’s war in Ukraine were widespread in Europe, but the loss of EU funds compounded the government’s problems, according to Zoltán Török, head of research at Raiffeisen Bank Hungary, a subsidiary of an Austrian bank.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Trump’s threats are an act of violence—as is his commitment to the destruction of Middle Eastern civilization through widespread scholasticide.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The demolition drew widespread outcry from preservationists, who condemned the intervention in a historic structure, as well as scrutiny over its legality.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widespread
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Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2026
Price shocks from Russia’s war in Ukraine were widespread in Europe, but the loss of EU funds compounded the government’s problems, according to Zoltán Török, head of research at Raiffeisen Bank Hungary, a subsidiary of an Austrian bank.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
Trump’s threats are an act of violence—as is his commitment to the destruction of Middle Eastern civilization through widespread scholasticide.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
The demolition drew widespread outcry from preservationists, who condemned the intervention in a historic structure, as well as scrutiny over its legality.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widespread
Cite this Entry
“Widespread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widespread. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
widespread
adjective
wide·spread
ˈwīd-ˈspred
1
: scattered or found over a wide area
widespread interest in the election
2
: spread out over a wide area
widespread wings
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