as in broadens
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 widens
As the frame widens, the pacing slows, and the Shakers’ movement pauses, what Fastvold captures is how, out of the expanse of America, the Shakers start to find structure.
—
Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
By focusing on the persistence of private life during wartime, the book widens from an investigation into a kind of communal portrait, literally illustrating the way injustice contorts and is resisted by people, together and alone.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
The new series widens that inquiry to Jewish identity amid a climate of rising antisemitism.
—Olga Garcia-Mayoral, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
Brandon Bell | Getty Images How inflation is absorbed further widens the divide, according to D’Acunto.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025
Advertisement Finally, if MAHA’s perspective widens and its recommendations gain authority and substance, Kennedy might consider reframing the movement itself to reflect a more collaborative approach to the challenges children face.
—Dr. James S. Gordon, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
As the capability gap between authoritarian and democratic networks widens, authoritarian rule has become easier to sustain and democratic backsliding harder to combat.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But the new city widens his lens.
—Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 10 Dec. 2025
Multiply that by millions of viewers, year after year, and the gap between digital nature and the real world widens.
—New Atlas, 7 Dec. 2025
Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
By focusing on the persistence of private life during wartime, the book widens from an investigation into a kind of communal portrait, literally illustrating the way injustice contorts and is resisted by people, together and alone.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
The new series widens that inquiry to Jewish identity amid a climate of rising antisemitism.
—Olga Garcia-Mayoral, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
Brandon Bell | Getty Images How inflation is absorbed further widens the divide, according to D’Acunto.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025
Advertisement Finally, if MAHA’s perspective widens and its recommendations gain authority and substance, Kennedy might consider reframing the movement itself to reflect a more collaborative approach to the challenges children face.
—Dr. James S. Gordon, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
As the capability gap between authoritarian and democratic networks widens, authoritarian rule has become easier to sustain and democratic backsliding harder to combat.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But the new city widens his lens.
—Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 10 Dec. 2025
Multiply that by millions of viewers, year after year, and the gap between digital nature and the real world widens.
—New Atlas, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widens
Verb
-
New Shepard design broadens access to suborbital spaceflight From its earliest design stages, the New Shepard has incorporated features intended to lower physical barriers to spaceflight.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Dec. 2025
-
The announcement Monday from the Food and Drug Administration broadens the drug’s use to older women who have gone through menopause.—
Matthew Perrone,
Fortune,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
This foldable tote bag packs flat, expands instantly, and can carry souvenirs, beach gear, or laundry.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
-
That's how the music conveys that, expands it.—
Gerrad Hall,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Arctic competition intensifies as Russia boosts military presence and China declares itself a ‘near-Arctic state,’ making Greenland crucial for North American defense.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Two days later, Mars conjunct Pluto in your fourth house intensifies emotional undercurrents tied to family, home, or old survival patterns.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Widens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widens. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share