broaden
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
But what about the notion that the rally would start to broaden beyond tech?
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
To make the point, he uses statements like, “Give the old gal a rest” and ”You need to broaden your appeal.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Under plans announced Friday, they will broaden the collaboration to include moves that will both boost production and lower costs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
The 1950s "made people look outwards more and try to broaden their horizons," says Andy.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Because he spent all of his free time there, he couldn’t quite manage to broaden his life.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
