as in to broaden
to increase the width, breadth, or scope of
Immediate action to widen the highway is needed to ease the near constant congestion. The authorities planned to widen their investigation into Ponzi scheme.
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Recent Examples of widen
So far this year, three Democratic members of Congress over age 70—Representatives Gerry Connolly, Sylvester Turner and Raúl Grijalva—have died, temporarily widening the GOP’s narrow majority in the House.
—
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Tapestry laid out its new strategic vision in September, aiming to build Coach to a $10 billion business by widening the definition of its target audience and essentially going after everybody who might conceivably buy a handbag, not just the people who bought one last year.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
The gap between wealthy and lower-income households is widening, according to analysts.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Peter’s eyes widen in understanding.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widen
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Tapestry laid out its new strategic vision in September, aiming to build Coach to a $10 billion business by widening the definition of its target audience and essentially going after everybody who might conceivably buy a handbag, not just the people who bought one last year.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
The gap between wealthy and lower-income households is widening, according to analysts.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Peter’s eyes widen in understanding.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widen
Verb
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Telehealth can also broaden the number of doctors who are ready to prescribe PrEP.—
Zach Dyer,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
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Industry observers and company officials credited Sheetz with broadening the chain’s appeal beyond typical convenience store fare.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Flywing also plans to expand the competitive side of the platform.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
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Neutrality allowed the nation to build strength, expand westward, and avoid the ideological contagions sweeping the continent.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For immigration advocates in the Bay Area, Good’s death has intensified long-standing concerns about intimidation and retaliation against those who monitor federal agents.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
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The chaos intensified after someone threw a snowball.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widen. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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