WIDEN Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

widen

verb

Definition of widen

as in to broaden

to increase the width, breadth, or scope of Immediate action to widen the highway is needed to ease the near constant congestion. The authorities planned to widen their investigation into Ponzi scheme.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of widen The Miami bakery tussle widened when Salazar visited Vicky Bakery, another Miami chain. — Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 Health data travels from home medical devices through applications, cloud platforms and hospital systems before reaching a clinician, and each step widens the digital footprint. — Ayush Jain, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Much of Bloomberg’s money is going toward the House with the goal of widening the possible margin of victory for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), who is likely to become the House speaker if Democrats win it back, Wolfson said. — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026 The yield spread between French 10 year bonds and benchmark German Bunds widened to 146 basis points, marking its highest level in two weeks. — CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for widen

Recent Examples of Synonyms for widen

Verb

The Senate hopeful is looking to Obama in shoring up support for the traditionally Democratic demographic and broaden el Sayed’s coalition 10 days out from the midterm elections.

— Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2026
In addition to the two blue-state questions, a measure in Arizona would broaden an existing ban to include private schools, and one in Nebraska would add an existing state law to the state constitution.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of broaden

Verb

An interceptor that can engage targets at greater distances could expand the area protected by existing air defense units.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Founded by three childhood friends, Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros, and Romée de Gorianoff, who were later joined by Xavier Padovani, the Experimental Group gradually expanded to encompass wine bars, restaurants, and boutique hotels.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of expand

Browse Nearby Words

widemouthed

widen

widened

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Widen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widen. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of widen

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes