broaden

American  

[brawd-n] / ˈbrɔd n /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to become or make broad.

   Synonyms:

   sophisticate, educate, inform, enlighten, widen, enlarge, expand, extend

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broaden British  

/ ˈbrɔːdən /

verb

1. to make or become broad or broader; widen

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Other Word Forms

• overbroaden verb
• rebroaden verb
• unbroadened adjective

Etymology

Origin of broaden

First recorded in 1720–30; broad + -en ¹

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

Craik added there would also be a day event for schools on Friday "to enrich the kids' preparation for A-levels, but also to broaden their knowledge and understanding more generally of humanities subjects".

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

They steady your position in moments of danger—they help you make the case, and share the intelligence burden—and broaden your influence in peace.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Congress made the affirmative decision to broaden its grant of birthright citizenship from the earlier statute.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Nvidia invested $2 billion in Marvell Technology to broaden the use of its hardware and enable semi-custom AI infrastructure.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

It will broaden his experience in some ways, but it will also curtail his contact with clients.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• augment
• develop
• enlarge
• expand
• increase
• open up
• widen