broaden
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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broadens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
broadened,
past participle, past
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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
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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:
Sannerstedt and Freden argue the Sweden Democrats had failed to broaden their appeal in other policy areas and were now struggling to remain relevant.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Hobson, an established collector in her own right, helped broaden the collection’s representation of Black artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
A stunning pace of earnings growth has also helped the rally broaden out beyond tech, chip stocks and the big momentum plays that drove the market to fresh highs this summer.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The inaugural prize is limited to the social sciences; in future years we hope to broaden it to additional disciplines and to add a category for institutional leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
After a time, they dug carefully to broaden the run and as the day wore on the does, each in turn, remained beside him, licking his wounds and listening to his low, unsteady breathing.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
“Customer demand is accelerating as enterprise adoption broadens and we continue to deepen our technology platform.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
"For JioStar, tennis broadens the engagement calendar, attracts affluent urban audiences and diversifies advertiser categories beyond cricket," says Bhalla.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
But if the weakness broadens or geopolitical risks intensify, policymakers could be spurred into action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Chatrie broadens the constitutional problem considerably because geofence warrants are built around collective searching.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
Her smile broadens, and for a moment, I feel that I recognize her.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
But generative AI has vastly broadened the range of tasks that humans can successfully outsource.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
"We have broadened the potential application of these materials," Singh said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Although G20 talks broadened to cover issues like climate change and global health over time, analysts expect Washington to advocate a "back-to-basics" approach this year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
TOKYO—Japan’s consumer inflation picked up last month as the effects of higher oil prices caused by the Middle East conflict broadened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Most of them were round, but I found two with hollow places in the center which I deepened and broadened by rubbing them with sand.
From "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
The company said the plan also focuses on broadening the customer base and deepening relationships with existing customers, while also reinforcing the insurer’s competitiveness despite what it called a more challenging environment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The movie “9 to 5” from 1980 settled her broadening stardom; acting alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in a comedy about three office workers who get even with an abusive boss, Parton charmed viewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
But the lead researcher, Dr Varun Warrier, says this shows "autism broadening out genetically" rather than misdiagnosis.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Another aspect of the broadening market performance has been that stocks outside the U.S. have outperformed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 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
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.
