adjective
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extending over a wide area
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accepted by or occurring among many people
Etymology
Origin of widespread
Explanation
Widespread means far-reaching. For years, email was used only by computer programmers and technophiles. It was hard to imagine, back then, how widespread the phenomenon of digital communication would become. An idea that's widespread, is believed by many people, even if it's not true. A person such as Oprah, Gandhi, or Beyoncé, who has widespread popularity, is loved by many far and wide. A widespread disease is one that many people have — the flu epidemic of 1919 was deadly and widespread.
Vocabulary lists containing widespread
"The Civil Rights Movement"
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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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.
Despite their widespread nature in about 97 percent of cases today, plea bargains have only been around for less than a quarter of the U.S. criminal justice system’s history.
From Slate • Jun. 18, 2026
Mr. Trump chose the respected Jay Clayton as his official pick, garnering widespread plaudits.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
There is plenty of space for the longevity market to grow too, with increasing access to newer products like peptides and GLP-1s, even if some new categories do require government approval for widespread use.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
With L.A. set to host the Olympics in two years, there have been widespread concerns about the city’s ability to efficiently move people on public transit during a sporting event on that scale.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
Though the plague had not been widespread in our parish, Dr. Bright had treated enough cases for me to know why that plea for mercy had been painted upon the door.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
