as in broadening
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 widening
The juxtapositions of text and image, which strongly suggest the widening distance between mother and daughter, build in emotional and intellectual power over the film’s ninety-minute duration.
—
Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Those improvements include widening Clay Street, paying for utilities such as water and sewers, and purchasing a home on the west side of the property.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Amid the shortage of memory chips, prices and margins for memory makers have been widening, while hyperscalers have bemoaned cost increases for end-user goods and services.
—Tobias Burns, CNBC, 8 May 2026
That shortage points to a widening gap between where opportunity exists and where most people are being encouraged to look.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 8 May 2026
The report also emphasizes that as AI capabilities accelerate, retailers and real estate developers that delay embracing the technology risk widening a gap between consumer expectations and their ability to meet them.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
The situation has been exacerbated by the widening gap between livable wages and affordable housing in Ohio, Beach said.
—Francie Ebert, NBC news, 7 May 2026
In a lot of Sacramento’s older bungalows, that means widening one or two key doors, not the whole house.
—Amy Kunst, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
Washington remains short of clear strategic gains, while a conflict once framed as limited is now dragging much of the world into a widening quagmire – with few, if any, coming out ahead.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Those improvements include widening Clay Street, paying for utilities such as water and sewers, and purchasing a home on the west side of the property.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
Amid the shortage of memory chips, prices and margins for memory makers have been widening, while hyperscalers have bemoaned cost increases for end-user goods and services.
—Tobias Burns, CNBC, 8 May 2026
That shortage points to a widening gap between where opportunity exists and where most people are being encouraged to look.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 8 May 2026
The report also emphasizes that as AI capabilities accelerate, retailers and real estate developers that delay embracing the technology risk widening a gap between consumer expectations and their ability to meet them.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
The situation has been exacerbated by the widening gap between livable wages and affordable housing in Ohio, Beach said.
—Francie Ebert, NBC news, 7 May 2026
In a lot of Sacramento’s older bungalows, that means widening one or two key doors, not the whole house.
—Amy Kunst, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
Washington remains short of clear strategic gains, while a conflict once framed as limited is now dragging much of the world into a widening quagmire – with few, if any, coming out ahead.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widening
Verb
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The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is expanding and broadening its industry program, unveiling new initiatives on Wednesday, in time for the fest’s 60th edition.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
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The expansion of the Board from five to nine members also supports these reforms by broadening representation and reducing concentrated power, as well as the creation of a County Executive for more direct voter accountability.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Officials said the department is expanding coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services to include parents above that threshold.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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That means expanding solar on city facilities and exploring innovative energy options to reduce emissions and long-term costs.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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These pressures are only intensifying as the AI boom moves from software into physical infrastructure, and demand for computing capacity grows exponentially.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
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Ken Griffin and Zohran Mamdani's latest feud is intensifying after the billionaire said NYC's mayor put him in harm's way for including his penthouse in a video last month to promote his newest tax initiative.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Widening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widening. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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