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
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.
Noun
The house was built for Truus Schröder-Schräder, a recent widow and mother of three children. JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2025 The widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, Miriam Adelson spent millions on her super PAC Preserve America, which helped Trump win last year’s election. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Chernow’s Hamilton ends there; widowed Eliza gets a scant nine pages. Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025 For other tax filing statuses — single, head of household or widowed — the EITC will completely phase out at $62,974 for those with three or more children, $58,629 for two children, $51,593 for one child and $19,540 for no children. Lorie Konish, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for widow

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Widow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widow. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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

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