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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of widening
In that sense, wetware computing is less about building artificial brains and more about widening the set of tools available to computation itself.
—
Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 5 Feb. 2026
There are a variety of closures along I-35 coming up as part of the Phase 2 project reconstructing and widening a section of the highway between I-635 and the Denton County line.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
The widening wealth gap has become top of mind across all income levels—from the Occupy Wall Street movement, to petitions led by the ultra-rich demanding higher taxes on the wealthy.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Whitney Leavitt’s world is widening.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
Sweden scored big in the last round and now leads South Korea 10-3, widening their lead considerably.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
The National Academy of Medicine has long recognized a gap between health care research, medical communications, and public understanding, which is widening and impacting health outcomes.
—Kirstin R.w. Matthews, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
These projects include widening 12 other roads across the city from two to four lanes or from two to six.
—Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
This year’s ad, Rich People Live Longer, is narrated by rapper and actor Common and draws attention to the widening wealth gap in health results across the United States.
—Charles Taylor, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 5 Feb. 2026
There are a variety of closures along I-35 coming up as part of the Phase 2 project reconstructing and widening a section of the highway between I-635 and the Denton County line.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
The widening wealth gap has become top of mind across all income levels—from the Occupy Wall Street movement, to petitions led by the ultra-rich demanding higher taxes on the wealthy.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Whitney Leavitt’s world is widening.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
Sweden scored big in the last round and now leads South Korea 10-3, widening their lead considerably.
—Kevin Collier, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
The National Academy of Medicine has long recognized a gap between health care research, medical communications, and public understanding, which is widening and impacting health outcomes.
—Kirstin R.w. Matthews, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
These projects include widening 12 other roads across the city from two to four lanes or from two to six.
—Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
This year’s ad, Rich People Live Longer, is narrated by rapper and actor Common and draws attention to the widening wealth gap in health results across the United States.
—Charles Taylor, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widening
Verb
-
Unlike many of his Latin pop predecessors, who released songs in English in hopes of broadening their audience, the singer has not recorded any full-length English material across his six studio albums.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Skeptics such as Matt Bruenig, founder of the left-wing People’s Policy Project think tank, also argue that the success sequence puts the blame for poverty on individuals rather than forcing the government to examine systemic solutions, such as broadening public benefits.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Future versions are projected to extend driving range to around 310–372 miles (500–600 kilometers), expanding suitability beyond short-range applications.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Bill Gates named in Epstein files Documents released from the Epstein files indicate that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The guidance was a sharp contrast to rival Novo Nordisk A/S, which warned investors Tuesday that its sales could drop as much as 13% this year on intensifying price competition in the weight loss market.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Declining advertising revenue and intensifying competition have pushed companies to accelerate cost-cutting moves and restructure plans across the industry.—
Suzy Khimm,
NBC news,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Widening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widening. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
