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
Lake has also endeared himself to his teammates, as evidenced by Kobie Turner‘s widened smile when Lake’s name came up with reporters following the Rams’ 37-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
—
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Credit-default swaps — insurance that pays out if a borrower can't service its debt — have widened to multi-year highs for Oracle.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
Across the metro, city crews and contractors cleaned up throughout Monday, with many neighborhoods expecting multiple passes as streets and driveways were cleared and widened.
—Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 30 Dec. 2025
China first surpassed the United States in industrial robot density in 2022, with 322 machines per ten thousand employees compared with 274 in America, and the gap has only widened since.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Videos and eyewitness accounts described heavy security deployments, clashes with demonstrators and the use of tear gas as unrest widened.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The poisoning case later widened to children in the family amid ongoing feuds and money disputes.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
The scope of beauty widened, too.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
In Butler’s neo-feudal vision, states and cities erect strict borders to deter migrants, the gap between rich and poor has widened, and massive wildfires in Southern California drive the state’s decline.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Credit-default swaps — insurance that pays out if a borrower can't service its debt — have widened to multi-year highs for Oracle.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
Across the metro, city crews and contractors cleaned up throughout Monday, with many neighborhoods expecting multiple passes as streets and driveways were cleared and widened.
—Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 30 Dec. 2025
China first surpassed the United States in industrial robot density in 2022, with 322 machines per ten thousand employees compared with 274 in America, and the gap has only widened since.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Videos and eyewitness accounts described heavy security deployments, clashes with demonstrators and the use of tear gas as unrest widened.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The poisoning case later widened to children in the family amid ongoing feuds and money disputes.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
The scope of beauty widened, too.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
In Butler’s neo-feudal vision, states and cities erect strict borders to deter migrants, the gap between rich and poor has widened, and massive wildfires in Southern California drive the state’s decline.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widened
Verb
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However, several Supreme Court decisions in the last several decades have loosened those restrictions and broadened what is permissible under the Constitution.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
30 Dec. 2025
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Polkanova’s goals broadened at Woodbridge as the success of her team became a focus.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Pacers expanded their lead to as large as 25 points in the second quarter before the Heat finally started to push back.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
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In 2025, the Navy expanded its training programs for future E-6B pilots, with courses now held in Oklahoma, where the majority of the aircraft are based and operated.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pockets of protests erupting across Iran over the past week have intensified pressure on a dysfunctional government struggling to manage a spiraling economic crisis.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department has intensified efforts to investigate fraud in the state after a social media video shared by YouTuber Nick Shirley went viral right before New Year's Day.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Widened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widened. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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