# widen

/ˈwaɪdən/ (US) · /wˈaɪdən/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/widen
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Definition

to make something broader or more open. You can use it for physical things like roads or for abstract things like your knowledge.

For teachers: to increase the width or extent of something; to broaden. Transitive when acting on an object, or intransitive when describing something becoming broader.

## Examples

- The workers plan to widen the road next month.
- The university hopes to widen access to its courses by offering more scholarships to students from low-income families.
- As the river approaches the sea, the banks begin to widen significantly, slowing the current and allowing sediment to settle into a rich delta.

## Pitfalls

- Not "to wide the road" but "to widen the road" — Learners often use the adjective 'wide' as a verb instead of the correct verbal form ending in '-en'.

## Usage notes

- The verb is both transitive ('widen the gap') and intransitive ('the gap widened').

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.