A widow is a woman whose spouse has died and who has not married again.
widow in British English
(ˈwɪdəʊ)
noun
1.
a woman who has survived her spouse, esp one who has not remarried
2. (usually with a modifier) informal
a woman whose spouse is often away from home indulging in a sport, etc
a golf widow
3. printing
a short line at the end of a paragraph, esp one that occurs as the top line of a page or column
Compare orphan (sense 3)
4.
(in some card games) an additional hand or set of cards exposed on the table
verb(tr; usually passive)
5.
to cause to become a widow or a widower
6.
to deprive of something valued or desirable
Derived forms
widowhood (ˈwidowhood)
noun
Word origin
Old English widuwe; related to German Witwe, Latin vidua (feminine of viduus deprived), Sanskrit vidhavā
widow in American English
(ˈwɪdou)
noun
1.
a woman who has lost her spouse by death and has not remarried
2. Cards
an additional hand or part of a hand, as one dealt to the table
3. Printing
a.
a short last line of a paragraph, esp. one less than half of the full measure or one consisting of only a single word
b.
the last line of a paragraph when it is carried over to the top of the following page away from the rest of the paragraph
Compare "> orphan (sense 4)
4. (used in combination)
a woman often left alone because her spouse devotes time to a hobby or sport
Compare golf widow
transitive verb
5.
to make (someone) a widow
She was widowed by the war
6.
to deprive of anything cherished or needed
A surprise attack widowed the army of its supplies
7. obsolete
a.
to endow with a widow's right
b.
to survive as the widow of
Derived forms
widowly
adjective
Word origin
[bef. 900; (n.) ME wid(e)we, OE widuwe, wydewe; c. G Witwe, Goth widuwo, L vidua (fem. of viduus bereaved), Skt vidhavā widow; (v.) ME, deriv. of the n.]
widow in Insurance
(wɪdoʊ)
Word forms: (regular plural) widows
noun
(Insurance: Life insurance)
A widow is a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again.
Attach a copy of the employee's death certificate and a copy of the certificate ofthe marriage to the widow or widower.
A funeral advancement option allows the widow or widower of the deceased policyholder to get a portion of the benefit upfront forthe funeral expenses.
A widow is a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again.
widower
Examples of 'widow' in a sentence
widow
A widow is set to marry a homeless man she took pity on 40 years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It is the perfect place for golf widows too.
The Sun (2015)
His brother suggested he marry a wealthy widow and settle down to write books.
Christianity Today (2000)
No longer do you become a footie widow at the weekends.
The Sun (2014)
My friend has recently become a widow.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
There were steps, and two elderly widows took my arms on either side to steady themselves.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It's obviously better to be a golf divorcee than a golf widow.
The Sun (2006)
But will it be tamed to play the wealthy Viennese widow?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
And if the woman is widowed, she finds herself in your position.
Shapiro, Jean Get the Best out of the Rest of Your Life (1990)
Golf widows for a year, prize turkeys for a weekend.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
His widow recalled finding his body and not crying for the cameras, insisting that the business would continue.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A widow sets out to honour her husband's last wish with a little help from her granddaughter.
The Sun (2010)
A WAR widow who lost her bomb disposal expert husband is a mother again.
The Sun (2014)
In other languages
widow
British English: widow /ˈwɪdəʊ/ NOUN
A widow is a woman whose husband has died.
She became a widow a year ago.
American English: widow
Arabic: أَرْمَلَة
Brazilian Portuguese: viúva
Chinese: 寡妇
Croatian: udovica
Czech: vdova
Danish: enke
Dutch: weduwe
European Spanish: viuda
Finnish: leskinainen
French: veuve
German: Witwe
Greek: χήρα
Italian: vedova
Japanese: 未亡人
Korean: 과부
Norwegian: enke
Polish: wdowa
European Portuguese: viúva
Romanian: văduvă
Russian: вдова
Latin American Spanish: viuda
Swedish: änka
Thai: แม่หม้าย
Turkish: dul kocası/karısı ölmüş
Ukrainian: вдова
Vietnamese: bà góa
British English: widow VERB
If someone is widowed, their husband or wife dies.
More and more young men are widowed by cancer.
American English: widow
Brazilian Portuguese: enviuvar
Chinese: 丧偶
European Spanish: enviudar
French: rendre veufN
German: verwitwen
Italian: rendere vedovo
Japanese: 配偶者に先立たれる>受身形で用いられる
Korean: 배우자를 잃다
European Portuguese: enviuvar
Latin American Spanish: enviudar
All related terms of 'widow'
war widow
A war widow is a woman whose husband was killed while he was in the armed forces during a war.
black widow
an American spider , Latrodectus mactans , the female of which is black with red markings , highly venomous, and commonly eats its mate
golf widow
a woman whose husband spends a lot of time playing golf
grass widow
a woman divorced , separated , or living away from her spouse
merry widow
a woman's undergarment combining a bra , often strapless , a corset ending just below the waist, and garters for stockings
widow woman
a woman who has survived her spouse , esp one who has not remarried
widow's mite
a small contribution given by a person who has very little
widow's peak
a V-shaped point in the hairline in the middle of the forehead
widow's walk
a type of railed viewing platform built on the roof of some 19th century houses in America and often built round a cupola
widow's cruse
an endless or unfailing source of supply
widow's weeds
a widow's black mourning clothes
chuck-will's-widow
a large North American nightjar , Caprimulgus carolinensis, similar to the whippoorwill
widow's benefit
(in the British National Insurance scheme ) a former weekly payment made to a widow
widow's pension
a state benefit paid to a widow
whidah
any of various predominantly black African weaverbirds of the genus Vidua and related genera, the males of which grow very long tail feathers in the breeding season
whydah
any of various predominantly black African weaverbirds of the genus Vidua and related genera, the males of which grow very long tail feathers in the breeding season