as in broadened
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 widened
Now, the state’s Department of Transportation is spearheading a project that will replace the bridge that carries the Rock Island Trail over Highway 350, which will also be widened at the intersection.
—
Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
Now, among residents aged 15 to 49, those rates are about 5% higher, a pattern that began diverging in the 2000s and has steadily widened.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
While 2023's Volume 2 widened Visions' lens to include animation studios from all over the world, this new season returns to Japan's anime tradition, with some shorts serving as follow-ups to past hits and others exploring the Star Wars galaxy in totally different (and often shocking) ways.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Lund also recently departed his other board chair position — from energy giant BP Plc — after the gap between BP and its peers widened.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
That’s when the world of the story widened.
—David Soren, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
The rookie wide receiver’s eyes widened.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025
That the actual sentence falls in the middle creates a gray area − further widened by the jury's mixed verdict.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
In Mint, Regan has widened the aperture and secured a buzzy cast, including a rare TV acting performance from Ben Coyle-Larner AKA hip-hop star Loyle Carner.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
Now, among residents aged 15 to 49, those rates are about 5% higher, a pattern that began diverging in the 2000s and has steadily widened.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
While 2023's Volume 2 widened Visions' lens to include animation studios from all over the world, this new season returns to Japan's anime tradition, with some shorts serving as follow-ups to past hits and others exploring the Star Wars galaxy in totally different (and often shocking) ways.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Lund also recently departed his other board chair position — from energy giant BP Plc — after the gap between BP and its peers widened.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
That’s when the world of the story widened.
—David Soren, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
The rookie wide receiver’s eyes widened.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025
That the actual sentence falls in the middle creates a gray area − further widened by the jury's mixed verdict.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
In Mint, Regan has widened the aperture and secured a buzzy cast, including a rare TV acting performance from Ben Coyle-Larner AKA hip-hop star Loyle Carner.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widened
Verb
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Fontanez, who has cut hair for everyone from Tom Brady to Nelly and even former President Barack Obama, broadened his career focus during the pandemic to include motivational speaking.—
Hedy Phillips,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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Although flows were restored in a truce that saw tariffs lowered from levels exceeding 100%, China this month broadened export curbs on the materials after the US expanded restrictions on Chinese companies.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Since then, the social media star has expanded her participation in her hobby tenfold.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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However, if these expanded incentives come through, the Stage 32 program could mean that there’s a ready-to-go crew base in Florida for when production does ramp up again.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Even as American political polarization has intensified over the last eight years, both Republicans and Democrats have agreed that an increasingly powerful Beijing poses an economic, technological, and security threat to Washington and its close allies.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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That talk of the Chiefs being helped by officials has continued into this season, and that only intensified when the virtual measurement showed the Commanders were 5 inches short of the first down.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Widened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widened. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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