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
Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, has been friends with the Democratic presidential nominee for years. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2024 His widow, Joann, his son Steve and other family will be presented with the medal Tuesday during a ceremony in Washington hosted by Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Rebecca Santana, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2024
Verb
Cesar, who’s widowed, is deeply devoted to the memory of his late wife, and his touchingly, melodramatically fervent demonstrations of enduring devotion are echoed in Coppola’s onscreen dedication of the movie to his wife, Eleanor, who died in April. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2024 The film’s synopsis reads: In rural Northern India, newly widowed Santosh inherits her late husband’s job as a police constable and becomes embroiled in the investigation of a young girl’s murder. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for widow 

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 10 Oct. 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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