wid ‧ en /ˈwaɪdn/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ wide , ↑ widely ; verb : ↑ widen ; noun : ↑ width ; adjective : ↑ wide ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to become wider, or to make something wider OPP 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 OPP 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 OPP narrow