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

The first carriage built exclusively for use by a British royal was constructed at Wolverton Works by the London & Birmingham Railway for Queen Adelaide, the widow of King William IV, in 1842. —Ben Jones, CNN Money, 4 July 2025

It’s been nearly 10 years since Stamper purchased Tracks in Wax, a record store at 4741 N. Central Ave., just south of Camelback Road in Phoenix, from Julie Chiesa, the widow of Dennis Chiesa, who opened the business with his brother Don in 1982. —Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025

Verb

About half of those individuals are divorced, separated, or widowed, meaning many women are intentionally leaving a partner at home—and seeking the sense of security and sisterhood that comes with a small-group trip. —Lori Rackl, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2025

As recently widowed Irene Chao, Liu trades her signature strut for a self-effacing shuffle, using makeup not to accentuate her beauty but to downplay it. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 June 2025

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

Rhymes for widow

• kiddo

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