English · Word Candidate

widow

/ˈwɪd.əʊ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: widows · widowing · widowed

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A person whose spouse is absent: — A person who has lost a spouse and hasn't remarried: — A woman whose spouse (traditionally husband) has died (and who has not remarried); a woman in relation to her late spouse; feminine of widower.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A person whose spouse is absent: — A person who has lost a spouse and hasn't remarried: — Any person whose spouse has died (and who has not remarried).

Noun

Examples

Now that he is a widow, he tries to win Olivia back through the songs and the music that brought them together all those years ago, leaving Olivia torn between moving forward with Josh or falling into the arms of the man she truly loves.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

To make a widow or widower of someone; to cause the death of the spouse of.

Verb

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

To strip of anything valued.

Verb

Examples

Sleep, gentle winds, as he sleeps now, My friend, the brother of my love. My Arthur! whom I shall not see ⁠Till all my widow’d race be run; ⁠Dear as the mother to the son, More than my brothers are to me.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “widow” mean?

Is “widow” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.