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broaden

/ˈbrɔːdən//ˈbrɔːdən/·verb
Animated scene
Fig. 1 — A torch throws a tight pencil of light — a narrow bright spot on the far wall.
01Definition

To broaden is to make or become broader — wider, but especially wider in range and variety. A river broadens; more often, you broaden your horizons, your knowledge, your appeal, your mind. Built from broad, it leans toward the abstract where its cousin widen leans toward physical width and gaps. To broaden a debate is to let more voices and angles into it, not just to make it bigger. It works both ways — reading broadens the mind, and the estuary broadens. Its opposite is to narrow or to restrict.

02In use
  • iTravel broadens the mind — you come home with a wider sense of what is possible.
  • iiThe party spent years trying to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional base.
  • iiiA good reading list will broaden your knowledge faster than any single course.
03Collocations
  • broaden your horizons
  • broaden the appeal
  • broaden your knowledge
  • broaden the mind
  • broaden the scope

Family broadening (adjective) · broadened (adjective) · broadly (adverb)

04Relations

=widen, expand, extend, enlarge, deepen

≠narrow, restrict, limit

06TOEFL & IELTS

Broaden is a TOEFL and IELTS essay staple, almost always with an abstract object of range: broaden your horizons, your knowledge, your outlook; broaden access, the appeal, the debate. It works both transitively and intransitively. The distinction to protect: broaden = more variety or range; widen = more physical width or a bigger gap; expand = more size or scope overall.

07Asked
What does 'broaden your horizons' mean?
It means to widen the range of things you know, experience, or consider — through travel, reading, new people, new ideas. 'Studying abroad really broadened my horizons.' The image is the scene above: a narrow view opening out into a broad one, so much more comes into sight than before.
What does broaden mean?
To broaden is to make or become broader — wider, and especially wider in range and variety. A river broadens; you broaden your knowledge, your appeal, your outlook. It is built from 'broad' and leans toward abstract range rather than plain physical width, which is where 'widen' fits.
Is it 'broaden my horizon' or 'broaden my horizons'?
Almost always the plural: broaden your horizons. The idiom treats horizons as the many limits of your experience, so the plural is standard. 'Broaden my horizon' (singular) is occasionally seen but sounds off to most ears — keep it plural in an exam.
What is the difference between broaden and widen?
Broaden suits range and variety — horizons, knowledge, appeal, a debate. Widen suits physical width and gaps — a road, a crack, the gap between rich and poor. You broaden a scope; you widen a dimension. Both can mean 'make wider', but the object usually tells you which is natural.
What do 'broaden the appeal' and 'broaden the mind' mean?
To broaden the appeal is to make something attractive to a wider, more varied audience — 'the redesign broadened the brand's appeal'. To broaden the mind is to make a person more open, informed, and tolerant through new experience. Both take the word's core idea, more range, and apply it to taste and to outlook.
Is broaden formal, and how is it different from expand?
Broaden is neutral-to-formal and fits essays well. Against expand: expand is about size or scope growing overall (a business expands); broaden is about taking in more variety within a range (broaden the debate). A company can expand into new markets and broaden its appeal at the same time — grow bigger, and grow more varied.