verb · neutral
widen
/ˈwaɪdən/WIDE·en
Band 5-6speakingtask1task2
to make something wider, either physically or in terms of scope
Examples
“They plan to widen the main road to reduce traffic congestion.”
“Policy changes could widen the gap between urban and rural areas.”
“Efforts to widen access to education are ongoing.”
Band 8 sentence
“The council allocated funds to widen the bridge and improve pedestrian safety.”
Collocations
- widen the road
- widen access/opportunities
Word family
widen verbwidens verb (3rd sg)widening verb / noun (gerund)widened verb (past / past participle)
Common mistakes
make widen the road→widen the road
widenings of opportunities→widening of opportunities
Say it for a higher band
5make wider→6expand→7+widen
Synonyms
broaden
expand
Easily confused
broaden
“They decided to broaden the research to include more case studies.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -en
Learn it with its set