widen

verb

wid·​en ˈwī-dᵊn How to pronounce widen (audio)
widened; widening ˈwīd-niŋ How to pronounce widen (audio)
ˈwī-dᵊn-iŋ
Synonyms of widen

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 How to pronounce widen (audio)
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
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.
The firm's losses have widened continuously from 52 million rupees in the financial year ended March 2022, as per data from Tracxn. — Priyanka Salve,jenny Lee, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026 Earlier this month, French 10-year bond yields jumped to the highest since 2002, and the premium over equivalent German yields widened to the most since the eurozone debt crisis in 2011. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 Harnessing his brilliant writing and cinephile’s eye, Bourdain used food as an entry point to understand people and places while widening the aperture of what should be considered great. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 El Sayed also pointed to the consequences of the widening conflict, including disruptions to global energy supplies. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for widen

Word History

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of widen was in 1566

Rhymes for widen

See All Rhymes for widen

Browse Nearby Words

wide-mouthed
widen
widener
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widen. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

widen

verb
wid·​en ˈwīd-ᵊn How to pronounce widen (audio)
widened; widening ˈwīd-niŋ How to pronounce widen (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to make or become wide or wider : broaden

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