broaden
B2Neutral (used in all registers from formal to informal)
Definition
Meaning
To become wider or to make something wider.
To become or make something more extensive, varied, or inclusive in scope, range, experience, or understanding.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a verb. The core literal meaning of physical widening is less frequent than the figurative meaning of expanding non-physical qualities like knowledge, horizons, or appeal. Often used with abstract nouns.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling and grammar are identical.
Connotations
Identical. Both varieties strongly associate the word with personal development and inclusivity.
Frequency
Slightly higher relative frequency in American English corpus data, but the difference is marginal.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
broaden + object (transitive)broaden + out (phrasal verb)broaden + into (phrasal verb)subject + broaden (intransitive)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “broaden your horizons”
- “broaden the mind”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to discuss expanding market appeal, customer base, or product ranges (e.g., 'We need to broaden our target demographic.').
Academic
Common in discussions of research scope, intellectual development, and interdisciplinary studies (e.g., 'The study broadens our understanding of cognitive processes.').
Everyday
Most frequent in contexts of personal growth, travel, and learning new skills (e.g., 'Traveling really broadened my perspective.').
Technical
Less common. Can be used in engineering/design for physical widening, but 'widen' is often preferred.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- University should broaden your intellectual horizons.
- The path broadens out into a proper road further on.
- They plan to broaden the scheme to include pensioners.
American English
- Studying abroad will broaden your perspective.
- The river broadens into a bay just south of the city.
- We need to broaden our appeal to younger voters.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The road broadens after the bridge.
- Reading books can broaden your mind.
- She took a course to broaden her skills.
- The company wants to broaden its product range.
- Living in another country significantly broadened her cultural understanding.
- The debate has broadened to include environmental concerns.
- The new evidence broadens the scope of the investigation considerably.
- His research aims to broaden the theoretical framework of the discipline.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a BROAD road becoming even BROADER. To BROADEN is to make something more BROAD.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE IS A PHYSICAL AREA (to broaden it is to make its area larger).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'уширить' (to widen physically) – 'broaden' is more abstract. The closer equivalent is 'расширить' (взгляды, кругозор).
- Avoid calquing 'broaden your mind' as 'расширить ваш ум' – use 'расширить кругозор' or 'расширить сознание'.
- Not used for making something 'broader' in the sense of 'more general' – use 'make more general' or 'generalize'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'I want to broaden my English.' (Correct: 'I want to improve/broaden my knowledge of English.')
- Incorrect: 'The company broadened their profits.' (Profits 'increase', they don't 'broaden'.)
- Spelling error: 'broading' (missing 'e').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the LEAST likely collocation with 'broaden'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it can be used literally (e.g., 'The river broadens'), but its figurative use (broaden your mind, horizons) is far more common in modern English.
'Widen' is more common for literal, physical contexts (widen a road). 'Broaden' is preferred for figurative, abstract contexts (broaden your knowledge), though there is significant overlap.
No, 'broaden' is only a verb. The related noun is 'broadening' (e.g., 'a broadening of experience').
Yes, 'broaden out' means to become wider or to start discussing more topics. (e.g., 'The valley broadens out here.' / 'Let's broaden out the conversation.')