widow
/ˈwɪdoʊ/
verb
- To cause someone to become a widow or widower; to deprive of a spouse by death.
- The disease widowed him, leaving him to raise their children alone.
- She was widowed at a young age when her husband died in an accident.
- The war widowed many young women in the village.
- To deprive of something valued or needed.
- He felt widowed from his former life after moving to a new country.
- The storm widowed the town of its oldest tree.
- The company was widowed of its best engineer when she retired.
noun
- A woman whose spouse has died and who has not remarried.
- The widow inherited the family farm and continued to run it herself.
- After her husband passed away, she became a widow at the age of 45.
- Many widows find comfort in support groups with others who have lost a spouse.
- A person whose spouse has died (used increasingly for any gender, though 'widower' is common for men).
- The support group welcomes both widows and widowers.
- The term 'widow' is sometimes used for anyone who has lost a spouse.
- He is a widow now, after his wife's long illness.