widespread
adjective
wide·spread
ˈwīd-ˈspred 
1
: widely diffused or prevalent
widespread public interest
2
: widely extended or spread out
… low, widespread hood and fenders …—
Time
Timea widespread erosion surface—C. B. Hitchcock
C. B. HitchcockExamples of widespread in a Sentence
There is widespread public interest in the election.
Trade partners had become more widespread.
There was widespread opposition to the plan.
Recent Examples on the Web
When a scientist, who wants to uncover why deafness is so widespread, arrives to study her community—even experimenting on the residents.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 26 Dec. 2025
After a harrowing and deadly Christmas Eve in California with rescues and evacuations amid widespread flooding and debris flow threats, another storm is battering the state Christmas Day, with more expected into Friday.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Intense thunderstorm lines can produce brief tornadoes and widespread significant wind damage.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2025
Héctor Corrales, director of the Honduran research institute NODO and a member of the European Union’s election observation mission, told the New York Times that investigators had found no evidence of widespread or coordinated fraud in the vote count.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widespread
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Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 26 Dec. 2025
After a harrowing and deadly Christmas Eve in California with rescues and evacuations amid widespread flooding and debris flow threats, another storm is battering the state Christmas Day, with more expected into Friday.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Intense thunderstorm lines can produce brief tornadoes and widespread significant wind damage.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2025
Héctor Corrales, director of the Honduran research institute NODO and a member of the European Union’s election observation mission, told the New York Times that investigators had found no evidence of widespread or coordinated fraud in the vote count.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widespread
Cite this Entry
“Widespread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widespread. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
widespread
adjective
wide·spread
ˈwīd-ˈspred
1
: scattered or found over a wide area
widespread interest in the election
2
: spread out over a wide area
widespread wings
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