Meaning & use
broaden our horizons
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Meanings
phraseidiom
to gain new experiences and knowledge, so that you understand more about the world and other people.
Grammar: Used with a possessive that matches the subject: I want to broaden my horizons. The noun 'horizons' is always plural here.
Patterns
- broaden your horizons
- broaden our horizons by doing something
- travel/study broadens your horizons
She spent a year working in Seoul because she wanted to broaden her horizons.
Reading books from other countries can really broaden our horizons.
My parents encouraged me to broaden my horizons instead of taking the same job as everyone else.
phraseidiom
to start doing or learning things that are new to you, especially outside your usual routine.
Grammar: Often followed by 'by + -ing' to say how: broaden your horizons by learning a language.
Patterns
- broaden your horizons by doing something
- a chance/opportunity to broaden your horizons
He broadened his horizons by joining a choir, even though he had never sung before.
Moving to a bigger city gave her the chance to broaden her horizons.
Common combinations
- broaden your horizons
- A gap year is a good way to broaden your horizons.
- really broaden your horizons
- Meeting people from other cultures really broadened my horizons.
- a chance to broaden your horizons
- The exchange program is a chance to broaden your horizons.
- broaden your horizons by doing something
- She broadened her horizons by volunteering abroad.
- want to broaden your horizons
- If you want to broaden your horizons, try studying a subject you know nothing about.
Synonyms and how they differ
- expand your experience
- A more literal phrase; it focuses on doing more things, while 'broaden your horizons' also suggests a change in how you see the world.
- widen your outlook
- Very close in meaning, but 'outlook' is about your attitude and opinions rather than your knowledge and experience.
- grow as a person
- Focuses on personal development and maturity; 'broaden your horizons' is more about learning about the world.
Opposites
Word family
- broaden verb
- to make something wider, or to become wider; also used figuratively as in 'broaden the discussion'.
- broad adjective
- wide; also used for a wide range of things, as in 'a broad range of interests'.
- horizon noun
- the line where the sky seems to meet the land or sea; in the plural it can mean the limit of your knowledge or experience.
Commonly confused: broaden our horizons or broaden your mind?
broaden our horizons vs broaden your mind
Similar but not the same: 'broaden your mind' means to make yourself more open to new ideas, while 'broaden your horizons' stresses new experiences and knowledge of the world.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase uses the plural 'horizons' with a possessive that matches the subject, and 'by + -ing' shows how. Option 1 uses the singular 'horizon', which is not the idiom; options 2 and 3 put the possessive in the wrong place.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “broaden our horizons”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.