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.
  • Since then, the gap has widened.
    — Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • That loss widened year-over-over by 17%.
    — Michael Wayland, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
  • That’s when the world of the story widened.
    — David Soren, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
  • If gold prices spike briefly, some buyers widen spreads.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
  • The gap between the groups widened from one month to six.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026
  • 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
  • And the gap between the two groups widened from month one to month six.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
  • That’s a path Palou is now widening.
    — Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Eyes widening, Zac has an epiphany.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Eyes widening, Zac has an epiphany.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
  • That racial gap has only widened over the past 10 years.
    — Beverly Moran, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
  • That drive to widen access defined him at work and at home.
    — J.m. Banks march 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The cab was widened with the running boards inside the truck.
    — David Krumboltz, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025
  • That is not fair when widening the lens and looking at his life.
    — Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
  • But as the rollout widens, free users face a clear message.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
  • That feels like what the notion of widening the lens is all about.
    — Maya Layne, Vogue, 26 June 2024
  • State will be widened to six lanes around the interchange.
    — Idaho Statesman, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The warnings come amid a widening war.
    — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The gap between the have and have-nots had widened into a canyon.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
  • This widened the audience for the work.
    — Chloe Veltman, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025
  • The shifts are needed for work to widen the bridges over the railroad.
    — Paul Eisenberg, chicagotribune.com, 25 Mar. 2022
  • Here’s what to know about the strait and the widening Iran war.
    — Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Here’s what to know about the strait and the widening Iran war.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Behind my scuba mask, my eyes widen.
    — Rachel Nuwer, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 June 2026

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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