WIDEN, verb transitive To make wide or wider; to extend in breadth; as, to widen a field; to widen a breach. [Note.--In America, females say, to widen a stocking.] WIDEN, verb intransitive To grow wide or wider; to enlarge; to extend itself. And arches widen and long aisles extend.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI