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Meaning & use

widen

verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈwaɪdn/
US/ˈwaɪdn/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    To make something broader from one side to the other.

    Grammar: Takes an object: widen the road.

    Patterns

    • widen something

    The council plans to widen the road near the school.

    She widened the doorway so a wheelchair could pass.

    They widened the river to prevent flooding.

  2. verbintransitive

    To become broader or to increase in extent or amount.

    Grammar: No object: the gap widened.

    Patterns

    • widen between something

    The river widens as it nears the sea.

    The gap between rich and poor has widened.

    Her eyes widened in surprise.

  3. verbtransitivefigurative

    To make something cover more people, subjects, or possibilities.

    Grammar: Used figuratively: widen your horizons.

    Patterns

    • widen your horizons
    • widen the search

    Traveling helped him widen his view of the world.

    Police widened the search to nearby towns.

    The school wants to widen access to higher education.

Word forms

third person singularwidens
past tensewidened
past participlewidened
-ing formwidening

Common combinations

widen the gap
The new law could widen the gap between the two groups.
widen your horizons
Learning a language can widen your horizons.
eyes widen
His eyes widened when he saw the cake.
widen the road
They had to widen the road for the trucks.
widen the search
Officers decided to widen the search area.

Synonyms and how they differ

broaden
Broaden is most often used for abstract things like views and knowledge, while widen also suits physical objects.
expand
Expand means to grow bigger in any direction, while widen is only about breadth.
enlarge
Enlarge means to make bigger overall, not only wider.
stretch
Stretch suggests pulling something so that it extends, which is a more physical action than widen.

Opposites

narrowtighten

Word family

wide adjective
large from side to side
width noun
the distance from side to side
widely adverb
over a large area or by many people
widening noun
the act of becoming wider
wideness noun
the quality of being wide

Commonly confused: widen or widow?

widen vs widow

A widow is a woman whose husband has died; it is only similar in spelling, not in meaning.

Practice

The city decided to ____ the narrow bridge so that two buses could cross at the same time.

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