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
In reality, the rift between driver and team had been widening for some time—Monaco may have simply been the breaking point.
—
Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Why Breast Cancer Is More Deadly in Black Women
Deaths from breast cancer have been declining for all groups except Native American women since 1990—but the survival gap has widened between Black and white women.
—Leah Small, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2025
Crews have widened sidewalks on either side of Grand Avenue on the two blocks from Broadway to Juniper Street, which will allow more outdoor dining areas without infringing on pedestrian pathways.
—Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Normally, the price of gold in New York and London is roughly the same, but recently this gap has widened: The New York price is substantially higher, driven in part by demand linked to fears of potential tariffs.
—Eshe Nelson, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widen
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Why Breast Cancer Is More Deadly in Black Women
Deaths from breast cancer have been declining for all groups except Native American women since 1990—but the survival gap has widened between Black and white women.
—Leah Small, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2025
Crews have widened sidewalks on either side of Grand Avenue on the two blocks from Broadway to Juniper Street, which will allow more outdoor dining areas without infringing on pedestrian pathways.
—Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025
Normally, the price of gold in New York and London is roughly the same, but recently this gap has widened: The New York price is substantially higher, driven in part by demand linked to fears of potential tariffs.
—Eshe Nelson, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widen
Cite this Entry
“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widen. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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