widen

verb

wid·​en ˈwī-dᵊn 

widened; widening ˈwīd-niŋ 

ˈwī-dᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

: to increase the width, scope, or extent of

widen a road

widen an investigation

intransitive verb

: to become wide or wider

a widening gap

widener

ˈwīd-nər 

ˈwī-dᵊn-ər

noun

Examples of widen in a Sentence

The city is going to widen the road.

They plan to widen the investigation.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

They went swimming at a spot where the river widens.

The scope of the investigation has widened.

Recent Examples on the Web

The rift widened in the wake of the couple’s explosive sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, their Netflix docuseries and Harry’s tell-all memoir. — Max Foster, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

Thankfully, spyware is still very targeted at journalists, dissidents, government officials and businesses operating in certain sectors, but the net is widening, with criminals using the malware to attack businesses in finance and other industries. — Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

The subsequent approval of Vybrique, an oral-film treatment for erectile dysfunction, widened the gap to 27 versus 2. — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2026

The sleeping surface measures 82 inches (208 cm) long and is widened via slim supplementary cushions to 57 inches (145 cm) at the head by the doors, tapering to 50 inches (127 cm) at the foot between the wheel wells. — New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for widen

• poseidon

Kids Definition

widen

verb

wid·​en ˈwīd-ᵊn 

widened; widening ˈwīd-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become wide or wider : broaden