broaden
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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broadens,
present (3rd person singular)
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broadened,
past participle, past
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broadening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
broadensimple
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broadenssimple
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have broadenedperfect
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has broadenedperfect
-
am broadeningprogressive
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are broadeningprogressive
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is broadeningprogressive
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have been broadeningperfect progressive
-
has been broadeningperfect progressive
Past
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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:
As well as putting out videos on his own accounts on X and TikTok, he has sought to broaden his audience by appearing on entertainment channels run by creators with large followings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The discovery could also broaden research into how the health and history of blood stem cells affect the brain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
The company also said it aims to create new opportunities for local artists and broaden access to live theater.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Still, the key debate among investors is going from Palantir’s growth potential to whether its success can broaden beyond its U.S. business, Lee said in a note.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Some of the most insidious tricks employed tonight will involve artifice and illusion. Without the milk you could be even more susceptible. It would only broaden their ability to mask their true appearance.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
"For JioStar, tennis broadens the engagement calendar, attracts affluent urban audiences and diversifies advertiser categories beyond cricket," says Bhalla.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The International Fact-Checking Network has previously warned of devastating consequences if Meta broadens its policy shift related to fact-checkers beyond US borders to the company's programs covering more than 100 countries.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Chatrie broadens the constitutional problem considerably because geofence warrants are built around collective searching.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
“When it broadens out, it makes it much more difficult to avoid for consumers. That’s really the concern going forward,” Yaros said, adding that it’s especially challenging for lower-income households.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
It was about nine in the morning when Mammachi and Baby Kochamma got news of a white child’s body found floating downriver where the Meenachal broadens as it approaches the backwaters.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
The momentum trade has worked out well for investors so far in 2026, even as the stock market’s performance has broadened.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Participation in the equity market has broadened significantly,” he noted.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Wilson’s decades of ant studies eventually broadened into a landmark career in conservation until his death in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
But they broadened into a wider expression of frustration over unemployment and governance, culminating in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 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
Another feather in the cap for value is that, while growth stocks generally lead during periods of slowing or scarce profit, profits are now generally picking up and broadening out.
From MarketWatch ● 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
The broadening of the rally means index-fund returns no longer hinge on a few AI names.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 9, 2026
“What we’re trying to understand is to what extent are these shocks broadening in their effects, broadening in their impact on prices that are quite far removed from it,” Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
I certainly supported the racial civil rights movement; supported the goal of broadening access to higher education.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
