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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of widen
Stronger opposition is never a good thing, but aggressive pressing can widen the Belgian’s windows to play those line-breaking passes through the midfield.
—
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 3 May 2025
His wide ranging comments followed mixed first quarter financials that saw losses widen to $39 million, from $25 million the year earlier on a shockingly soft box office.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 May 2025
Studio Nicholas Venezia In Janáček’s Quartet No. 1, the Takács ratcheted up the genre’s conversational quality into high drama, widening the expressive gulf between the opening lamentation and the skittering response.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 2 May 2025
In the latest YouGov/Yahoo poll, conducted April 25-28 among 1,597 respondents, his approval dropped from 44 percent in March to 42 percent, while disapproval rose from 50 percent to 53 percent, widening his net negative from –6 to –11.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for widen
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 3 May 2025
His wide ranging comments followed mixed first quarter financials that saw losses widen to $39 million, from $25 million the year earlier on a shockingly soft box office.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 May 2025
Studio Nicholas Venezia In Janáček’s Quartet No. 1, the Takács ratcheted up the genre’s conversational quality into high drama, widening the expressive gulf between the opening lamentation and the skittering response.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 2 May 2025
In the latest YouGov/Yahoo poll, conducted April 25-28 among 1,597 respondents, his approval dropped from 44 percent in March to 42 percent, while disapproval rose from 50 percent to 53 percent, widening his net negative from –6 to –11.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for widen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widen
Verb
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More people died in police chases in this Denver suburb than in the state’s biggest cities The Denver Post examined the region’s approach to police pursuits after the Aurora Police Department quietly broadened its policy in October to allow officers to chase more suspects.—
Max Levy,
Denver Post,
9 May 2025
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Since joining the company in 2022, Radhakrishnan has broadened his responsibilities to include oversight of core technology platforms, information security, product management and, most recently, the Chief Data Office.—
Peter High,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Wave has since expanded its family of petunias with brands such as Tidal Wave, Easy Wave, and Shock Wave.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 May 2025
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Known for its extreme violence, the group has expanded into Central America and various regions in the U.S. Law enforcement agencies have linked MS-13 to numerous violent crimes including murder, human trafficking, extortion, and drug distribution.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
3 May 2025
Verb
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At the same time, customer acquisition costs are climbing, lifetime value is shrinking and the competitive landscape is intensifying.—
Amit Jhawar,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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Since then, Israel has announced a plan to intensify its war on Gaza.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widen. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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