widen

[wahyd-n]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become wide or wider; broaden; expand.

widen

/ ˈwaɪdən /

verb

1. to make or become wide or wider

Other Word Forms

• widener noun
• rewiden verb
• unwidened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of widen¹

First recorded in 1600–10; wide + -en ¹

Example Sentences

But he warned attempts to widen the scope of the legislation could lead to it being "hijacked for purposes that may undermine the rationale" for it.

Read more on BBC

But as you can see from the chart, the spread in late 2024 stopped declining and instead began widening — and is now, once again, at near-record levels.

Read more on MarketWatch

For the three months through September, the company’s net loss was $789 million, widening from a loss of $114 million for the same period a year earlier.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Three governments in France have collapsed in less than a year, as they struggled to cobble together support in the fragmented National Assembly to pass a budget and narrow France’s widening deficit.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Banks also tend to retreat from risker lending markets as credit spreads widen.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• add to www.thesaurus.com
• broaden 
• enlarge 
• expand 
• extend 
• grow 
• increase 
• multiply 
• stretch 
• swell