widen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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widens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
widened,
past participle, past
-
widening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
widensimple
-
widenssimple
-
have widenedperfect
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has widenedperfect
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am wideningprogressive
-
are wideningprogressive
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is wideningprogressive
-
have been wideningperfect progressive
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has been wideningperfect progressive
Past
-
widenedsimple
-
had widenedperfect
-
was wideningprogressive
-
were wideningprogressive
-
had been wideningperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
But her concern is clear – the scale of charity involvement in the NHS can widen inequalities.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Imports were higher than exports by $105 billion, down 0.7% from August, in contrast to economists’ expectations for the trade gap to widen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Kenningham of Capital Economics predicted there would be "no lifeline for France" at Thursday's meeting, saying spreads between French and German bonds, the eurozone benchmark, would need to widen far more to justify any action.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
This gap is set to widen in the coming years, leading some to warn Europe risks missing out on the potential economic benefits of the AI boom, external.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
The Story Box’s light dimmed, and the passageway seemed to widen a bit.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
The private-credit gate needs loan values to hold until the exit widens.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
"You've got the same job title, same tenure, but different value based on whether someone treats AI as a threat or a tool - that gap widens really quickly once leadership notices it," says Pamela.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
In July, the mega-refinery secured $2.5 billion in investment from private investors to fund its expansion plans as it widens its refining business to east Africa.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
That makes it economical to do a lot more things in space and widens SpaceX’s already-large competitive moat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The passageway widens into a larger cavern, and the scattered cave lights merge into a torrent of glowing creatures.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
And if the net is widened to include powerlifting and pro wrestling, Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Jesse Ventura of Minnesota get a nod.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Cracks in the AI trade widened last week as investors sold off shares of tech giants like Alphabet and Intel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Nigeria has widened a hunt for potential Ebola cases, with an additional nine contacts traced, health authorities said Sunday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
She’d turned to face me head-on, eyes widened in feigned shock, her right hand over her heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Clare’s eye widened as he was struck with a realization.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
It also comes at a time when wealth inequality is widening, according to Federal Reserve data.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
The widening to C$5.35 billion in September marked the the biggest surplus in over four years as exports hit a fresh record high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
The endothelium is the thin layer of cells lining the inside of blood vessels, where it helps regulate circulation and the widening and narrowing of arteries.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
“They’re closing the gap with Tesla and widening the gap with legacy automakers like GM and Ford,” Pierce said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
“You don’t know that,” Eunjoo said, fear widening her eyes.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
