widow

American  

[wid-oh] / ˈwɪd oʊ /

noun

1. a woman who has lost her spouse by death and has not remarried.

2. Cards. an additional hand or part of a hand, as one dealt to the table.

3. Printing.

   1. a short last line of a paragraph, especially one less than half of the full measure or one consisting of only a single word.

   2. the last line of a paragraph when it is carried over to the top of the following page away from the rest of the paragraph.

4. a woman often left alone because her husband devotes his free time to a hobby or sport (used in combination).

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verb (used with object)

widowed, widowing

1. to make (someone) a widow.

   She was widowed by the war.

2. to deprive of anything cherished or needed.

   A surprise attack widowed the army of its supplies.

3. Obsolete.

   1. to endow with a widow's right.

   2. to survive as the widow of.

widow British  

/ ˈwɪdəʊ /

noun

1. a woman who has survived her husband, esp one who has not remarried

2. informal (usually with a modifier) a woman whose husband frequently leaves her alone while he indulges in a sport, etc

   a golf widow

3. printing a short line at the end of a paragraph, esp one that occurs as the top line of a page or column Compare orphan

4. (in some card games) an additional hand or set of cards exposed on the table

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verb

1. to cause to become a widow or a widower

2. to deprive of something valued or desirable

widow Idioms  

1. see grass widow.

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Other Word Forms

• widowhood noun
• widowly adjective

Etymology

Origin of widow

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English wid(e)we, Old English widuwe, wydewe; cognate with German Witwe, Gothic widuwo, Latin vidua (feminine of viduus “bereaved”), Sanskrit vidhavā “widow”; (verb) Middle English, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

The legal claim filed recently by widow Nancy Lemus alleges new details in the runup to the the explosion.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

She said that his widow, Patricia Houston, "with great dignity and courage, describes to the court the devastating impact of the loss of her husband… in her words, her world has collapsed."

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

President Donald Trump has appointed the widow of assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk to the US Air Force Academy advisory board, US media reported Wednesday.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

He left a widow and two young children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

The widow was bareheaded; her veiled mourning cap had been removed and was now perched on the corner of Lord Fredrick’s elephant’s-foot umbrella stand.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood