widen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of widen
Explanation
When you made something broader or more open, you widen it. In order to add bike lanes on your street, the city may need to widen it. Your friend's smile will undoubtedly widen when you hand him a chocolate cupcake — in other words, what starts as a grin gets bigger and wider. A scholar who widens her area of expertise adds subjects to her research, and your dinner options widen when two great new restaurants open in your town.
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.
That gap is projected to widen to 17 times by 2027.
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
Memory-chip demand for AI is surging, and a Samsung strike could widen the supply-demand gap through 2028.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
As the channels deepen and widen, parts of the ice shelf may thin unevenly, reducing the shelf's overall structural stability.
From Science Daily • May 10, 2026
A wider bid/ask typically means less liquidity, or trading volume, and transaction costs can add up for active investors and spreads can widen further in volatile markets.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
I can tell by the way Ronan’s eyes widen that he didn’t know they were going to have to move.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
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.
