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.
Nvidia pays a “token” dividend, and while an increased payout could broaden the stock’s investor base, the company has been finding other uses for its cash.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Ford’s stock is up almost 10% over the last five days, after investors’ enthusiasm for the company’s plan to broaden its business was dampened by a broader market selloff on Friday.
From MarketWatch • 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
How does that broaden our understanding of the world?
From Slate • May 7, 2026
His shoulders seemed broader, and I wondered if it was possible for a teenagers shoulders to broaden in a week.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
