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

This arrangement, however, did not sit well with her father’s widow, who tried to claim all the ashes for herself. —Ashley Vega, People.com, 15 June 2025

Public benefits were reserved primarily for the families of veterans, and private charity went almost exclusively to widows, for even do-gooders were loath to let absent fathers off the hook by helping their children. —Augustine Sedgewick, Time, 13 June 2025

Verb

As recently widowed Irene Chao, Liu trades her signature strut for a self-effacing shuffle, using makeup not to accentuate her beauty but to downplay it. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 June 2025

Opponents say the law erodes medical accountability and unfairly affects unmarried adults without young children and seniors who are single or widowed and whose children are past their mid-twenties. —Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 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