widen
[verb]
Synonyms: broaden, dilate, enlarge, expand, extend, spread, stretch

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

wid‧en /ˈwaɪdn/ verb
[Word Family: adverb: wide, widely; verb: widen; noun: width; adjective: wide]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to become wider, or to make something wider Antonym : narrow:
They’re widening the road.
The river widens and splits.

2. [intransitive and transitive] to become larger in degree or range, or to make something do this Antonym : narrow:
The gap between income and expenditure has widened to 11%.
They are trying to widen the discussion to include environmental issues.

3. [intransitive] if your eyes widen, they open more, especially because you are surprised or frightened Antonym : narrow

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

widen
verb
ADV. considerably, greatly The gap between rich and poor has widened considerably.
slightly | gradually, slowly | quickly, rapidly | suddenly | out The road widens out and becomes a dual carriageway.
PREP. from, into At this point the river widens into an estuary.
to The trade deficit had widened from £26 billion to £30 billion.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲