as in broadening
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.
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Recent Examples of widening
Lengthening the turning basin, and widening the channel bend near the East Breakwater from 560 feet to 800 feet.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
The suspension is the latest escalation in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on civil society, which has increasingly criminalized journalism, activism and political opposition.
—Ghaya Ben Mbarek, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
But, unexpectedly, its film version released that same year became a midnight movie phenom, marked by its impromptu audience outbursts and eventually becoming a counter-culture landmark, widening the generational divide even further.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
As for the widening request, it’s being considered.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Both the United States and Israel depict the war as existential and easily winnable, but pre-existing strategic divergence could now be widening for the better.
—Alexander Langlois, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026
Though repeatedly debunked, these ideas were widening the distance between citizens.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
According to Sawdey, that meant widening its focus beyond the Civil War to include veterans of all American wars, as well as the experiences of citizen soldiers in American history and veterans’ services outside the military.
—Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
So, in a general process of professionalization that changed the way that music was experienced, raising standards while widening the gap between expert and amateur, the mandolin fell out of fashion.
—Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
The suspension is the latest escalation in President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on civil society, which has increasingly criminalized journalism, activism and political opposition.
—Ghaya Ben Mbarek, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
But, unexpectedly, its film version released that same year became a midnight movie phenom, marked by its impromptu audience outbursts and eventually becoming a counter-culture landmark, widening the generational divide even further.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
As for the widening request, it’s being considered.
—Desiree Mathurin
april 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026
Both the United States and Israel depict the war as existential and easily winnable, but pre-existing strategic divergence could now be widening for the better.
—Alexander Langlois, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026
Though repeatedly debunked, these ideas were widening the distance between citizens.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
According to Sawdey, that meant widening its focus beyond the Civil War to include veterans of all American wars, as well as the experiences of citizen soldiers in American history and veterans’ services outside the military.
—Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
So, in a general process of professionalization that changed the way that music was experienced, raising standards while widening the gap between expert and amateur, the mandolin fell out of fashion.
—Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widening
Verb
-
Nobody on the Hill talks about broadening the base and lowering rates anymore.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Roy has been among the Republicans pushing to expand the reconciliation bill with additional reforms, but others have been wary about broadening its scope.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Southern Anoka County Assistance food shelf (SACA) is expanding to meet a growing need in Columbia Heights.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The store initially sold ice cream before expanding to chocolates in 1965.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Once free of quota constraints, the Emirates can up its production by more than 40% to 5 million barrels per day, intensifying competition in markets where sub-Saharan Africa’s higher-cost producers are already vulnerable.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
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The market value of media and entertainment stocks remains suppressed, however, amid intensifying competition from tech and streaming companies.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Widening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widening. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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