verb · neutral

broaden

/ˈbrɔːdən/BROAD·en

Band 5-6speakingtask2

to make something more general or include more things, especially ideas or experience

Examples

Travel can broaden your view of the world.

The course aims to broaden students' knowledge of global issues.

She took extra modules to broaden her skill set.

Band 8 sentence

Universities should broaden students' horizons by offering interdisciplinary options and more international exposure.

Collocations

  • broaden one's horizons
  • broaden knowledge/experience/skills

Word family

broaden verbbroadens verb (3rd sg)broadening verb / noun (gerund)broadened verb (past / past participle)

Common mistakes

make broaden students' horizonsbroaden students' horizons

broadenings of knowledgebroadening of knowledge

Say it for a higher band

5make sth bigger6expand7+broaden

Synonyms

expand

widen

Easily confused

deepen

The lecturer's explanation helped to deepen my understanding of the theory.

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