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.
William Widen, a retired lawyer who was an early mentor to Barshay at Cravath, said he was a quick study.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Widen the frame and you’ll find Denis Villeneuve’s daring “Dune: Part Two” and the uplifting “Sing Sing,” a drama about a prison theater program.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2024
The proposed solution was the same one transportation officials across the country have used since the 1960s: Widen the highway.
From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2023
Widen the focus from the brothers, and soccer is overflowing with starting XI pictures.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 20, 2022
The original passenger lists of the Titanic did not mention "Widen," which apparently established the identity of the body as that of Mr. Widener, who, together with his son, Harry, was lost.
From Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters by Marshall, Logan
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.
