widen

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From wide + -en (verbal suffix).

verb

1. (intransitive) To become wide or wider.
   His eyes widened as her negligee fell to the floor.
2. (transitive) To make wide or wider.
   But he still saw his side produce a rousing display which owed much to their lauded prowess from set-pieces, despite Uefa regulations meaning the pitch had to be widened and, in the process, the run-up area for Delap's long throws reduced. September 29, 2011, Tom Rostance, “Stoke 2 - 1 Besiktas”, in BBC Sport
3. (transitive) To let out clothes to a larger size.
   She widened his trousers for him.
4. (transitive) To broaden or extend in scope or range.
   The police widened their enquiries.
5. (transitive, programming) To convert to a data type that can hold a larger number of distinct values.
   to widen a short variable to an int variable