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
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
The difference was day and night, a sleeker, profile with a deeper-V hull and widened spray rails, along with extensive soundproofing for a quieter interior.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
That loss widened year-over-over by 17%.
—Michael Wayland, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
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
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
The difference was day and night, a sleeker, profile with a deeper-V hull and widened spray rails, along with extensive soundproofing for a quieter interior.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
That loss widened year-over-over by 17%.
—Michael Wayland, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widened
Verb
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This started as a response to male violence against women, but broadened out to become a protest against male oppression.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
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The market’s impact on consumer sentiment comes as stock ownership has broadened over past five years into more income and age groups.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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One Beijing site, which expanded by nearly 50% since 2020, is involved in the production of the vaunted DF-26 medium-range ballistic missile, according to the China Aerospace Studies Institute.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Since then, Butterfly World expanded to include two aviaries for tropical birds and an interactive lorikeet encounter area.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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By 2022, nationalist rhetoric from Yameen and his Progressive Party coalition intensified into a demand for the expulsion of the Indian troops stationed in the country.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Widened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widened. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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