widen
verb
wid·en
| \ ˈwī-dᵊn
\
\
widened;
widening\ ˈwīd-niŋ
, ˈwī-dᵊn-iŋ \
, ˈwī-dᵊn-iŋ \
Definition of widen
: to increase the width, scope, or extent of
widen a road widen an investigation
: to become wide or wider
a widening gap
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Other Words from widen
widener
\ ˈwīd-nər
, ˈwī-dᵊn-ər \
noun
, 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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
From three inches shorter, the defensive back swears the gap is widening between himself and his roommate. — Joan Niesen, SI.com, "Already a Star for Northwestern, Paddy Fisher Is Just Getting Started," 30 Aug. 2019 Yet the gap between haves and have-nots is widening. — Riane Eisler, Quartz, "The fight between capitalism and socialism will be won by a totally different “ism”," 29 Aug. 2019 Online retail and food-delivery apps are also contributing to the widening use of plastic, though there are no authoritative data on this. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "India’s plastic waste crisis is too big, even for Modi," 28 Aug. 2019 As someone who shows a keen interest in these areas, new-mother Meghan is likely to be aware that the gap widens after the age of 30 as women still perform the majority of family- and childcare responsibilities. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's All-Female Leadership Team Is So Significant for the Royal Family," 27 Aug. 2019 Use your people skills to meet new prospects and widen your social network. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for Aug. 26, 2019: Cancer, be a sudden ray of sunshine; Aquarius, focus on clear communication," 26 Aug. 2019 Women also experience hair loss, but usually keep their hairline while their part widens. — Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Patchy success for most baldness treatments," 26 Aug. 2019 The northern courts will be replaced with grass, while the two southern courts will be replaced and slightly widened to allow for more room between the courts. — Steve Schering, chicagotribune.com, "Though over budget, park district approves $190k to replace Rehm Park tennis courts," 26 Aug. 2019 In addition, the tax revenue will supply $150 million in matching funds for the Alabama State Port Authority’s ship channel widening in Mobile that is estimated to cost $400 million. — al, "How the new 6 cent gas tax increase will affect Alabama," 25 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'widen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for widen
widen
verb
English Language Learners Definition of widen
: to make (something) wide or wider
: to become wide or wider
See the full definition for widen in the English Language Learners Dictionary
widen
verb
wid·en
| \ ˈwī-dᵊn
\
\
widened;
widening
Kids Definition of widen
: to make or become wide or wider
The road is being widened.
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