widow

1 of 2

noun

wid·​ow ˈwi-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce widow (audio)
1
a
: a woman who has lost her spouse or partner by death and usually has not remarried
c
: a woman whose spouse or partner leaves her alone or ignores her frequently or for long periods to engage in a usually specified activity
a golf widow
a video game widow
2
: an extra hand or part of a hand of cards dealt face down and usually placed at the disposal of the highest bidder
3
: a single usually short last line (as of a paragraph) separated from its related text and appearing at the top of a printed page or column

widow

2 of 2

verb

widowed; widowing; widows

transitive verb

1
: to cause to become a widow or widower
2
obsolete : to survive as the widow of
3
: to deprive of something greatly valued or needed

Examples of widow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The film follows the subsequent trial and unpacks the widow’s turbulent relationship with her spouse. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 In 2023, items belonging to late Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew were to have been sold off until his widow learned of the auction and asked for the items to be donated to Mayhew’s foundation. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 Three years after a bicyclist was killed in a head-on crash with a speeding Miami-Dade police officer, a jury declared the cop negligent and awarded $3 million to the man’s widow and daughter. Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 Emma Thompson plays an inexperienced widow who hires the titular escort (Daryl McCormack) to make all of her intimate fantasies come true, but after several meetings, their relationship takes on a deeper meaning. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Then, there was Lady Falkland, the widow of a friend. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Samadi’s widow, Esther, gets just over $2 million, and his children, Micah Samadi and Zara Samadi, get $442,500 each. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024 Stacy Wakefield, the widow of the late Major League Baseball baseball player, Tim Wakefield, has died, the Boston Red Sox has confirmed. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Gottesman is the widow of David Gottesman, a protégé of Warren Buffett and an early investor in Berkshire Hathaway Inc., according to the New York Times. James Powel, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
At my age, a large portion of my girlfriends are either divorced or widowed. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024 Social Security benefits are the major source of income for people over 65 and are a significant source of income for disabled and widowed people under 65. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 My aunt, who was recently widowed, found comfort in living among her family. Tanikia Carpenter, Parents, 19 Nov. 2023 But now, the widowed Sophie needs West to feign an engagement with her in order to push her younger (also widowed) sister Alexandra into her own connubial bliss. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 The national rate of single adults in the U.S. is less than 50%, but the state with the highest ratio of singles is New Mexico, with 57% of adults either divorced, never married, widowed or separated. USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 Most of those Chauvin helps are women, many of whom are single or widowed. Steve Hartman, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2024 The group includes women who are married, divorced and widowed. Roxanne Roberts, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 The retired carpenter is recently widowed and has thought about getting back to work. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'widow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English widewe, from Old English wuduwe; akin to Old High German wituwa widow, Latin vidua, Sanskrit vidhavā, Latin -videre to separate

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of widow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near widow

Cite this Entry

“Widow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widow. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

widow

1 of 2 noun
wid·​ow ˈwid-ō How to pronounce widow (audio)
: a woman whose spouse has died
widowhood
-ˌhu̇d
noun

widow

2 of 2 verb
: to cause to become a widow or widower
widowed by war

More from Merriam-Webster on widow

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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