widen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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widensimple
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widenssimple
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have widenedperfect
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has widenedperfect
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am wideningprogressive
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are wideningprogressive
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is wideningprogressive
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have been wideningperfect progressive
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has been wideningperfect progressive
Past
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widenedsimple
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had widenedperfect
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was wideningprogressive
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were wideningprogressive
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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:
Nitrite helps relax and widen blood vessels, improving blood flow and contributing to lower blood pressure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
They can widen more sharply when investors suddenly demand more compensation to trade in a specific name or industry.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
It could help widen the window for therapies that tackle the underlying causes of disease, bringing us closer to a cure for dementia.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
Some experts warn that the gap between rich and poor in retirement could widen significantly for this generation.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Then she reads the headline and her eyes widen.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
The move into San Diego and three other cities widens the gap between Waymo and its competitors in the robotaxi race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
It’s only made me realize that one of the great joys of owning a pet is that you develop your own way of communicating, in a way that widens your vocabulary.
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026
If the race for nuclear weapons widens and accelerates, the region will become more unstable, heightening risks for the entire world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
As CO2 concentrations rise, this zone widens, increasing the atmosphere's cooling efficiency.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
Eddie widens her eyes and motions for me to follow her.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
The U.S. trade deficit widened to $77.6 billion in May, up from $54.6 billion in April, according to Commerce Department data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
So as the Sparks fell further behind, the holes left by the injured Cameron Brink and Kelsey Plum widened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The spread on Meta’s 6.3% coupon bonds due May 2056 widened by about 8 basis points on Tuesday, according to MarketAxess.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
The US trade deficit widened sharply in May to its largest in over a year as imports rose, government data showed Tuesday, with analysts noting that businesses could be gearing up for further tariffs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Richard didn’t seem to notice, but Mama did, judging from the way her eyes widened for a moment before she looked down at the silver she was polishing.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Over the next several weeks, their sensors noted that the crack was widening about 0.015 of an inch per day, a rate invisible to the eye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Although gaps at some school stages had begun to close post-pandemic, the report said they were widening again in the early years and at Key Stage 4, when pupils sit their GCSEs.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Patriotism is about widening the circle of liberty, dignity and opportunity so that more people can fully participate in the promise of this country.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
The World Bank in May described Afghanistan as "highly exposed to external shocks", with a "widening gap between imports and exports" that hit 70 percent of GDP in the 2025 fiscal year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
I could not say how far we’d gone, but at a widening bend of the river, I felt us slow in the eddying current along the other shore.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
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.
