How to Use widen in a Sentence

widen

verb
  • The city is going to widen the road.
  • They went swimming at a spot where the river widens.
  • Her eyes widened in surprise.
  • The scope of the investigation has widened.
  • They plan to widen the investigation.
  • The purchase was meant to widen the bank’s reach to the lower rungs of the wealthy there.
    Fortune, 6 Mar. 2023
  • The window by the kitchen sink was widened to add more light.
    Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 25 Oct. 2023
  • Her eyes widen, and a small smile forms at the corners of her mouth.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2023
  • The gaps appear to widen as the hiring process chugs along.
    Sarah Green Carmichael, Twin Cities, 2 Aug. 2024
  • That feels like what the notion of widening the lens is all about.
    Maya Layne, Vogue, 26 June 2024
  • But the gap between those who have wealth and those who don’t is widening.
    Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 7 July 2023
  • My eyes widen and find Angela’s with the same question.
    Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 19 July 2023
  • The Salmon, widening, seemed almost devoid of fish, and the sky was eerily free of birds.
    Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023
  • Now, Houston should be getting C.J. Stroud back, and the rookie ought to widen that gap.
    Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023
  • The bridge is there, but it has been widened into a modern two-lane highway.
    Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Sep. 2024
  • An instant later, Donn’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as his brain clicked.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
  • But new rules have widened the scope of places where men can be stopped and questioned about their draft status.
    Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2023
  • The Chiefs cashed in three plays later with another touchdown pass to widen the lead to eight.
    Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2024
  • As the body tries to cool down, blood vessels widen, redirecting hot blood from the core of your body toward the surface.
    WIRED, 30 Sep. 2023
  • This drop allows the safeties to widen and create an umbrella look for the offense.
    Lance Reisland, cleveland, 24 Sep. 2022
  • In the 1980s, the definition widened until the Cold War ended.
    Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2024
  • The project includes repairing and widening walkways around the Tidal Basin.
    Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
  • And so, when programming the latest edition, the Series Mania brass looked to widen the field.
    Ben Croll, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023
  • By increasing the amount of blood flowing through the body and speed, this widens blood vessels and allows heat to escape.
    Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 21 July 2023
  • With the Fed starting the cut, the yield curve normalizes and Net Interest Margin spreads start to widen.
    Frank Holland, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2024
  • Lanning asked his team, his eyes widening in a manic rage.
    Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2023
  • The frame widens in the 1500’s middle to accommodate its battery.
    Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2023
  • But when the general field is expanded to include Kennedy in a three-way race, Biden’s lead widens.
    Tori Otten, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023
  • Maher said the County Board earlier this year sided with residents after months of protests that the road should not be widened to five lanes.
    Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 16 Oct. 2024
  • This procedure is used to widen a stricture (a narrowed intestinal passage).
    Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 28 Oct. 2024

Some of 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.

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