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
And the gap between people who use AI and people who don’t is widening every day.
—
Brent Saunders, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The inequity is only expected to widen this year.
—Laura Bassett, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Luckin Coffee’s latest outlet, in Shenzhen, is its first to market its worldwide selection of beans, a reflection of its mammoth operations and widening supply chain.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 10 Feb. 2026
In contrast, hair loss tends to show up in specific patterns — such as thinning near the temples, a widening hairline, or bald areas near the crown — and happen more gradually.
—Rebecca Strong, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widen
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Brent Saunders, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The inequity is only expected to widen this year.
—Laura Bassett, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Luckin Coffee’s latest outlet, in Shenzhen, is its first to market its worldwide selection of beans, a reflection of its mammoth operations and widening supply chain.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 10 Feb. 2026
In contrast, hair loss tends to show up in specific patterns — such as thinning near the temples, a widening hairline, or bald areas near the crown — and happen more gradually.
—Rebecca Strong, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for widen
Cite this Entry
“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widen. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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