Definition of "widen" []

• To make or become wide or wider. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In comparing losses, use the term widen or narrow rather than increase or decrease."
• "In short, widen the deficit now and shrink it more later."
• "The common theory is that when yield spreads widen, which is when the so-called yield curve steepens, it suggests investors are optimistic about the strength of the economy."