widow

1 of 2

noun

wid·​ow ˈwi-(ˌ)dō 

1

a

: a woman who has lost her spouse or partner by death and usually has not remarried

b

: grass widow sense 2

c

: a woman whose spouse or partner leaves her alone or ignores her frequently or for long periods to engage in a usually specified activity

a golf widow

a video game widow

2

: an extra hand or part of a hand of cards dealt face down and usually placed at the disposal of the highest bidder

3

: a single usually short last line (as of a paragraph) separated from its related text and appearing at the top of a printed page or column

widow

2 of 2

verb

widowed; widowing; widows

transitive verb

1

: to cause to become a widow or widower

2

obsolete : to survive as the widow of

3

: to deprive of something greatly valued or needed

Examples of widow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Evan’s widow, Em (Boyana Balta), became a grief counselor after her husband’s death. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2024

Australian soprano Danielle de Niese plays Hanna, the wealthy widow looking for a new lover. —Adrienne Wyper, The Week Uk, theweek, 17 Dec. 2024

Verb

The Democratic senator from Massachusetts did not wait long to draw policy lessons from the heinous assassination that widowed Thompson’s spouse and deprived his two sons of a father. —Matthew Continetti, National Review, 14 Dec. 2024

Viewers meet Anise, who has been married three times; widow Suzanne, who was married for 27 years; Nate, who was married for 16 years; Pam, who was married twice and widowed twice; Lori, who has been divorced once; and Greg, who has been divorced twice. —Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English widewe, from Old English wuduwe; akin to Old High German wituwa widow, Latin vidua, Sanskrit vidhavā, Latin -videre to separate

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing widow

• black widow
• chuck-will's-widow
• football/golf widow
• grass widow
• merry widow
• widow maker
• widow's cruse
• widow's peak
• widow's walk

Kids Definition

widow

1 of 2 noun

wid·​ow ˈwid-ō 

: a woman whose spouse has died

widowhood

-ˌhu̇d

noun

widow

2 of 2 verb

: to cause to become a widow or widower

widowed by war