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
After widespread speculation of a behind-the-scenes feud between Lively and Baldoni, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against her costar and director in December 2024.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025
Creepy robot crawls Olson is pushing the boundaries of what humanoid robots can do, and his latest experiment has captured widespread attention online.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
The first significant winter storm of the season is disrupting education across several states, forcing widespread school closures and delays from West Virginia through the Mid-Atlantic.
—Associate News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
The uprising lasted three weeks and led to the massacre of dozens of white and mixed race settlers and widespread damage to sugar plantations.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widespread
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025
Creepy robot crawls Olson is pushing the boundaries of what humanoid robots can do, and his latest experiment has captured widespread attention online.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
The first significant winter storm of the season is disrupting education across several states, forcing widespread school closures and delays from West Virginia through the Mid-Atlantic.
—Associate News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
The uprising lasted three weeks and led to the massacre of dozens of white and mixed race settlers and widespread damage to sugar plantations.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widespread
Cite this Entry
“Widespread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widespread. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share