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widen

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widen

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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++wid·en /ˈwaɪdn/ ●●○ verb  1 WIDE[intransitive, transitive] to become wider, or to make something wider (使)变宽 OPP narrow They’re widening the road. 他们正在拓宽马路。 The river widens and splits. 这条河有变宽的河段,也有分流的河段。2 INCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNT[intransitive, transitive] to become larger in degree or range, or to make something do this (使)〔程度〕增加;(使)〔范围〕扩大 OPP narrow The gap between income and expenditure has widened to 11%. 收支差额扩大到了11% They are trying to widen the discussion to include environmental issues. 他们正试图扩大讨论范围,将环境问题纳入其中。3. [intransitive] if your eyes widen, they open more, especially because you are surprised or frightened 〔尤因惊讶或恐惧而眼睛〕睁大 OPP narrow→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
widenThe gap between the incomes of two-carer families and lone mothers with children has widened.But a return to a strictly enforced standard becomes more and more difficult as the gap between generations widens.The road widened again when we came out of the tunnel.Her eyes widened as though she were shocked at herself.From Horton, the valley widens, becoming broader and more expansive.Maryland widened its lead to 14 points.They widened still further as his eyes ran slowly over the visible curves of her body.The new interest in growth is sure to widen that gap.In fact, many recent developments have served to widen the gap between North and South.A lot of local residents are against council plans to widen the road.When are they going to widen the road?The current account deficit widened to 4. 1 billion marks from a revised 2. 9 million marks in September.Later the tunnel was widened to accommodate larger vehicles.The range of university courses available has widened tremendously in recent years.
wid·en verbChineseSyllable
something or to wider, become wider to make Corpus


widen
widen /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
   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


widenBrE /ˈwaɪdn/ 🔊NAmE /ˈwaɪdn/ 🔊 verbpresent simple - I / you / we / they widen BrE /ˈwaɪdn/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwaɪdn/ 🔊present simple - he / she / it widens BrE /ˈwaɪdnz/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwaɪdnz/ 🔊past simple widened BrE /ˈwaɪdnd/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwaɪdnd/ 🔊past participle widened BrE /ˈwaɪdnd/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwaɪdnd/ 🔊 -ing form widening BrE /ˈwaɪdnɪŋ/ 🔊 NAmE /ˈwaɪdnɪŋ/ 🔊 [intransitive, transitive] to become wider; to make sth wider (使)变宽;加宽;拓宽;放宽Her eyes widened in surprise. 她惊讶地睁大了眼睛。🔊🔊~ into sth Here the stream widens into a river. 溪水在这里变宽,成了一条河。🔊🔊~ sth They may have to widen the road to cope with the increase in traffic. 他们可能得拓宽这条道路以适应车辆的增多。🔊🔊 [intransitive, transitive] to become larger in degree or range; to make sth larger in degree or range (使)扩展,程度加深,范围扩大the widening gap between rich and poor贫富之间日益扩大的差距~ sth We plan to widen the scope of our existing activities by offering more language courses. 我们计划通过开设更多的语言课程以扩大我们现有的活动范围。🔊🔊The legislation will be widened to include all firearms. 这项法规的范围将扩大到包括所有的枪支。🔊🔊