broaden
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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broadens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
broadened,
past participle, past
-
broadening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
broadensimple
-
broadenssimple
-
have broadenedperfect
-
has broadenedperfect
-
am broadeningprogressive
-
are broadeningprogressive
-
is broadeningprogressive
-
have been broadeningperfect progressive
-
has been broadeningperfect progressive
Past
-
broadenedsimple
-
had broadenedperfect
-
was broadeningprogressive
-
were broadeningprogressive
-
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:
PRT also would broaden public insight into how lease agreements with the port affect the local workforce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Big Caring plans to expand its retail network, strengthen its sales channels, improve distribution infrastructure and broaden its pharmacy services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
If those currently underappreciated sectors come through, earnings leadership could broaden out, she says.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
It also would broaden public insight into how lease agreements with the port affect the local workforce by requiring any leaseholder extending a lease or lease applicant to disclose overview on its employment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 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
The discovery broadens the known variety of magnetic minerals found in lunar samples.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
“The combination broadens the resource base, reduces reliance on the higher-decline Norwegian portfolio and creates a 2nd infrastructure-led development engine in Denmark.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The move broadens the existing California-Quebec carbon market, linked in 2014.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
“Customer demand is accelerating as enterprise adoption broadens and we continue to deepen our technology platform.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
‘And this ledge broadens out to the right. I could stand there without a hold. I’ll——’ his words were cut short.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
But following the security clampdown, the movement broadened its demands to include greater protection for civil liberties and the right to protest.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Lakota is predominantly known to be a bass music venue, but over the years it has broadened its programme to include Afrobeats and amapiano events.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
He said the company has broadened its customer base to include multiple hyperscalers — or large cloud companies that provide computing power.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Call it nepo-baby inflation: A collective obsession with unearthing privilege has broadened the meaning of the term, originally referring to children of A-listers who followed in their parents’ footsteps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Well, my answer is that in the Muslim World, I saw, I felt, and I wrote home how my thinking was broadened!
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
It relied hugely on advertising that was brokered through third-party services such as Apple, and wanted to change that by broadening beyond social media to its own hardware and devices.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
My take: Some of this may be healthy broadening after a long stretch of overheated tech buying.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Mail-in voting has become more popular over the last decade, with many states broadening access to it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
“Positive surprises from these unloved sectors could drive a broadening in market performance.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Why don’t you open your own business? I’ll advance you the money,” I said, fascinated at the idea of broadening my commercial interests in that direction.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
