noun
widow
WIHD-oh
noun
1
A woman whose husband or spouse has died and who has not remarried.
"She has lived alone since becoming a widow five years ago."
"The charity supports widows and their families."
2
A person whose spouse or partner is often away, such as a "golf widow".
"She jokingly calls herself a football widow every Saturday."
"Being a work widow, she spends most evenings alone."
verb
1
To make someone a widow or widower through the death of their spouse.
"The war widowed thousands of young women."
"She was widowed at just thirty-two."
How to Use Widow
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA woman (or, more broadly, anyone) whose spouse has died and who hasn't remarried.
Common mistake
"Widower" is the male equivalent — don't use "widow" for a man whose wife has died.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a grieving widow
widow's pension
Word Forms
widowed past tense, widows plural, widows singular
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Etymology
From Old English widuwe, from a very old Indo-European root meaning "to separate" — related to the word wide.