widow

1 of 2

noun

wid·​ow ˈwi-(ˌ)dō 

1

a

: a woman who has lost her spouse or partner by death and usually has not remarried

b

: grass widow sense 2

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

Tillman and billionaires Bash Steed (Christoph Waltz), Camilla White (Renée Zellweger) and Jay Pflug (Logan Lerman) were arrested, and Lester's widow, Lorraine (Dianne Wiest), finally moved into the Arconia. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025

Erika Kirk, the CEO of Turning Point USA and the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is expected to give her first TV interview since her husband’s assassination to Fox News Channel’s Jesse Watters, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025

Verb

Magnussen stars as recently widowed and recovering alcoholic Sheriff Red, who launches an investigation as locals begin turning up murdered and dismembered one by one, discovering that the monster feeds on the blood alcohol content of its victims. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025

Chernow’s Hamilton ends there; widowed Eliza gets a scant nine pages. —Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing widow

• black widow
• chuck-will's-widow
• football/golf widow
• grass widow
• merry widow
• widow maker
• widow's cruse
• widow's peak
• widow's walk

Rhymes for widow

• kiddo

Kids Definition

widow

1 of 2 noun

wid·​ow ˈwid-ō 

: 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