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widen

/ˈwaɪdən//ˈwaɪdən/·verb
Animated scene
Fig. 1 — A single narrow lane, seen from above, one dashed line down its middle.
01Definition

To widen is to make or become wider — a road is widened, a river widens, eyes widen in surprise. It is the plain verb built from wide, and it works both ways: you widen something, or something widens on its own. Its great figurative use is the gap: to widen the gap, gulf, or divide between two things — rich and poor, leader and rest — is one of the most useful phrases in essay writing. Where broaden leans toward range and variety, widen keeps to physical width and to distances opening up. Its opposite is narrow.

02In use
  • iThe council plans to widen the road to three lanes to ease the traffic.
  • iiAs automation spread, the gap between skilled and unskilled pay began to widen.
  • iiiHer eyes widened when she saw the size of the bill.
03Collocations
  • widen the gap
  • widen the road
  • widen access
  • the gap widens
  • eyes widen

Family widening (noun) · widened (adjective) · width (noun)

04Relations

=broaden, expand, enlarge, dilate, extend

≠narrow, contract

06TOEFL & IELTS

Widen is a Task 2 workhorse through one phrase above all: 'widen the gap' (or gulf, divide, rift) between two groups — rich and poor, regions, generations. It works transitively (widen a road, widen access) and intransitively (the gap widened). Keep it apart from broaden: you widen a physical width or a gap; you broaden a range, a mind, or an appeal.

07Asked
What does widen mean?
To widen is to make or become wider — greater from side to side. A road is widened, a river widens as it nears the sea, a crack widens under strain. It works both as a transitive verb (you widen something) and an intransitive one (something widens by itself), and it is the plain, everyday word for increasing width.
What does 'widen the gap' mean?
To widen the gap is to increase the distance or difference between two things — most often in writing about inequality: 'the reforms widened the gap between rich and poor'. The scene above shows the literal picture, two edges drawing apart, and the phrase carries that straight into the figurative: a gulf, divide, or rift growing larger.
What is the opposite of widen?
Narrow — to make or become less wide. A road widens or narrows; a gap widens or narrows. 'Contract' works for size in general, but narrow is the exact opposite for width and for gaps: to narrow the gap between two groups is to bring them closer together.
Is widen transitive or intransitive?
Both. Transitively, you widen something — 'they widened the road', 'the inquiry was widened'. Intransitively, a thing widens on its own — 'the river widens here', 'the gap widened over the decade'. The choice simply depends on whether an agent is doing the widening or the thing is spreading by itself.
What is the difference between widen and broaden?
Reach for widen when the thing getting bigger has a measurable width — a road, a crack, a gap, a gulf. It is the sideways, dimensional word. Broaden takes over for range and variety — horizons, knowledge, appeal. A quick test: if you could measure it in metres, widen usually fits; if it is a scope or a set of interests, broaden does.
What does it mean when someone's eyes widen?
It means the eyes open wider, usually from surprise, shock, fear, or sudden interest — 'her eyes widened at the news'. It is a common, vivid way in narrative writing to show a strong reaction without stating the feeling outright, letting the widening of the eyes carry it.