/ ˈwaɪdn; NAmE / verb
1.
to become wider; to make sth wider :
[ v ]
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Here the stream widens into a river.
[ vn ]
They may have to widen the road to cope with the increase in traffic.
2.
to become larger in degree or range; to make sth larger in degree or range :
[ v ]
the widening gap between rich and poor
[ vn ]
We plan to widen the scope of our existing activities by offering more language courses.
The legislation will be widened to include all firearms.