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
There are a variety of closures along I-35 coming up as part of the Phase 2 project reconstructing and widening a section of the highway between I-635 and the Denton County line.
—
Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
Since bitcoin’s October peak, the gap between its performance and gold’s has widened significantly.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
It’s also widened to include the industry’s Wall Street backers, from lenders to private equity owners for whom software firms have been popular targets.
—Brody Ford, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Gemini May 21 – June 20 What could widen your world in this moment?
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widen
Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
Since bitcoin’s October peak, the gap between its performance and gold’s has widened significantly.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
It’s also widened to include the industry’s Wall Street backers, from lenders to private equity owners for whom software firms have been popular targets.
—Brody Ford, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Gemini May 21 – June 20 What could widen your world in this moment?
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widen
Verb
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With the screening in Park Forest, Rockrohr now hopes to broaden his audience with presentations at documentary film festivals throughout the country.—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
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Bad Bunny’s appointment as Super Bowl ringmaster aligns with the NFL’s pursuit to broaden the audience for American football.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For many schools, that means expanding technical education classes, building partnerships with local businesses, and getting creative with transporting teens — some just on the cusp of learning to drive — to part-time work.—
Carley Lanich,
IndyStar,
10 Feb. 2026
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Powered by rapid advances in embodied intelligence, China’s humanoid robots are advancing rapidly, expanding their potential roles in both industrial settings and home environments.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tensions between anti-ICE demonstrators and federal officers have intensified in recent weeks in cities across the country, particularly after the shooting deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in separate incidents last month in Minneapolis.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
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Other concerns are that power-hungry data centers fed by natural gas generators can hurt air quality, consume water and intensify climate damage.—
Conor Harrison,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widen. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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