broaden
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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broadensimple
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broadenssimple
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have broadenedperfect
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has broadenedperfect
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am broadeningprogressive
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are broadeningprogressive
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is broadeningprogressive
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have been broadeningperfect progressive
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has been broadeningperfect progressive
Past
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broadenedsimple
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had broadenedperfect
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was broadeningprogressive
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were broadeningprogressive
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had been broadeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of broaden
Explanation
To broaden something is to make it wider or more expansive. If you wake up feeling less than cheerful, the sight of the doughnuts your dad got for breakfast might broaden your smile. Something can broaden literally, like a river that broadens as you hike beside it, growing wider as it flows south. Things also broaden figuratively, the way people's minds tend to broaden when they travel around the world and meet people from different cultures. In both cases, things that broaden expand and become more open.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In 2013, UC approved a data science course, submitted by Los Angeles Unified, to broaden math options, and by 2020 allowed such courses to substitute for advanced algebra.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Statutory testing in primary must be ended and assessment approaches in secondary must broaden beyond end-of-course exams to allow all students to achieve and thrive," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
They believe that AI demand remains robust enough to broaden out beyond the initial chip leaders and lift multiple sectors, boosting the entire stock market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
That, after all, is the point of the rule, to broaden access to “the potential growth and diversification opportunities associated with alternative asset investments,” as Trump’s executive order put it.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
I saw the drive broaden to the sweep I had expected, and with the blood-red wall still flanking us on either side; we turned the last corner, and so came to Manderley.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
The International Fact-Checking Network has previously warned of devastating consequences if Meta broadens its policy shift related to fact-checkers beyond US borders to the company's programs covering more than 100 countries.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Chatrie broadens the constitutional problem considerably because geofence warrants are built around collective searching.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
“When it broadens out, it makes it much more difficult to avoid for consumers. That’s really the concern going forward,” Yaros said, adding that it’s especially challenging for lower-income households.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
The financing package broadens funding sources for the Rincon project, which is underpinned by an attractive long-term outlook driven by the energy transition, said Jerome Pecresse, chief executive of the company’s aluminum and lithium segment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
She might never have thought this had she not spent time among the clouds herself, which is a perfect example of how travel broadens the mind.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
That order, which came into effect on 29 August 2025, broadened an earlier presidential action which specifically targeted cheap products from China and Hong Kong to cover the rest of the world.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In the following years, that surprise broadened into a question: “What are so many dogs doing in the visual arts from the Holocene 12,000 years ago to the present?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Near the end of his video, Loder broadened his criticism: “The veterans — the highest-paid guys — let this team down, let the franchise down, let the fans down.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
With the latest purchase, Wood’s bet on Musk has broadened.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
As in so many other fields, the study of attention broadened and deepened as the twentieth century sped along.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
"We now see that incidence is also increasing in white populations too, showing that this public health challenge is broadening across the generations," she added.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Instead, we think the broadening has legs and a wider range of indsutry groups will lead the market higher into year-end once this correction is finished,” they said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Many analysts expect the stock rally to keep broadening beyond just big tech during the second half of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
The findings also underscore the value of broadening the range of animal models used in medical research.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Compared to the normal brain, Algernons had decreased in weight and there was a general smoothing out of the cerebral convolutions as well as a deepening and broadening of brain fissures.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
