widow

1 of 2

noun

wid·​ow ˈwi-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce widow (audio)
1
a
: a woman who has lost her spouse or partner by death and usually has not remarried
c
: a woman whose spouse or partner leaves her alone or ignores her frequently or for long periods to engage in a usually specified activity
a golf widow
a video game widow
2
: an extra hand or part of a hand of cards dealt face down and usually placed at the disposal of the highest bidder
3
: a single usually short last line (as of a paragraph) separated from its related text and appearing at the top of a printed page or column

widow

2 of 2

verb

widowed; widowing; widows

transitive verb

1
: to cause to become a widow or widower
2
obsolete : to survive as the widow of
3
: to deprive of something greatly valued or needed

Examples of widow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
His widow, Josephine, became president of the corporation, and their eldest son, James, took over as publisher. arkansasonline.com, 2 Nov. 2024 Love even blooms for Emilia with a distraught widow (a wonderful Adriana Paz). Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
Watch on Deadline Dynevor will play Du Maurier, Thurman the housekeeper and Hopkins the wealthy and widowed Lord DeWithers. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024 While most reality-show cast members tend to be people in their 20s and 30s, Golden Bachelorette is full of boomers — men in their 60s, mostly, who have already been through marriages and are now divorced or widowed. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for widow 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English widewe, from Old English wuduwe; akin to Old High German wituwa widow, Latin vidua, Sanskrit vidhavā, Latin -videre to separate

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of widow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near widow

Cite this Entry

“Widow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widow. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

widow

1 of 2 noun
wid·​ow ˈwid-ō How to pronounce widow (audio)
: a woman whose spouse has died
widowhood
-ˌhu̇d
noun

widow

2 of 2 verb
: to cause to become a widow or widower
widowed by war

More from Merriam-Webster on widow

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