widened; widening
ˈwīd-niŋ 
ˈwī-dᵊn-iŋ
: to increase the width, scope, or extent of
widen a road
widen an investigation
: to become wide or wider
a widening gap
Examples of widen in a Sentence
The city is going to widen the road.
They plan to widen the investigation.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
They went swimming at a spot where the river widens.
The scope of the investigation has widened.
Recent Examples on the Web
My eyes widen, every time, at its tripwire womp of umami and earthy sweetness.
—
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The gap between the two men will likely widen on Thursday, as Tesla stock hits a new 52-week low and Meta gains value.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
After an agreement to bury a Contra Costa Water District canal that stood in its way, a stretch of East Cypress Road can now be widened.
—Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
An instant later, Donn’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as his brain clicked.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
The differential between per capita income growth in the poorest countries and the richest has widened over the past five years, according to the report.
—Fox News, 15 Apr. 2024
To Noda’s disappointment, his team’s attempts to widen the stripe—and therefore increase brightness—without causing other headaches were unsuccessful.
—Susumu Noda, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, a draft law in parliament to widen the parameters of who can be conscripted has undergone thousands of amendments.
—Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The gap between what Goldman Sachs Group Inc. pays men and women in its UK workforce widened to its highest level in six years, underlining the difficulties the Wall Street giant has had in retaining and attracting top female talent.
—Tom Metcalf, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The gap between the two men will likely widen on Thursday, as Tesla stock hits a new 52-week low and Meta gains value.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
After an agreement to bury a Contra Costa Water District canal that stood in its way, a stretch of East Cypress Road can now be widened.
—Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
An instant later, Donn’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as his brain clicked.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
The differential between per capita income growth in the poorest countries and the richest has widened over the past five years, according to the report.
—Fox News, 15 Apr. 2024
To Noda’s disappointment, his team’s attempts to widen the stripe—and therefore increase brightness—without causing other headaches were unsuccessful.
—Susumu Noda, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, a draft law in parliament to widen the parameters of who can be conscripted has undergone thousands of amendments.
—Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
The gap between what Goldman Sachs Group Inc. pays men and women in its UK workforce widened to its highest level in six years, underlining the difficulties the Wall Street giant has had in retaining and attracting top female talent.
—Tom Metcalf, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'widen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near widen
Cite this Entry
“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widen. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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