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

Deutsche Bank said earnings growth would broaden out across sectors, with 10 of 11 in positive territory, led by megacap growth and tech.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

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

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

He added, however, that officials wouldn’t let the effect of higher energy prices broaden and become persistent inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 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

Related Words

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