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Glite Dictionary
to broaden horizons

to broaden horizons

5 3.7
To learn new things and try new experiences
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : ampliar horizontes
  • Traveling to a different country can really broaden your horizons and expose you to new cultures.
  • Travel broadens your horizons
  • try to broaden horizons
  • experiences that broaden horizons

Examples

  • Jamtgaard, a research associate and professor in the Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA) at MU, grew up in South Dakota and said the Peace Corps was an opportunity to broaden his horizons and learn about another culture by living within it.

    Blog text (7)

  • You've broadened my horizons—and hopefully hers—dramatically!

    Blog text (17)

  • I know you feel that doing this will broaden your horizons and give you experience.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • "The computer broadens your horizons," he says.

    Blog text (2)

  • Until you broaden your horizons, you have no frame of reference from which to appreciate your starting point.

    Blog text (13)

  • I would suggest you broaden your horizons a bit and see that this form of advertising does not begin and end with the Russian community.

    Blog text (27)

  • "I'm broadening my horizons by learning about the plant world.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Any suggestions for broadening her horizons?

    Blog text (7)

  • In order to succeed at being a home business owner, you have to be able to take knowledge-based risks to broaden your horizons.

    Blog text (1)

  • Travel broadens your horizons...

    Fiction book (1997)

Synonyms

to expose oneself to
vsto broaden horizons
203 5.6

To put yourself in a situation to experience something new or difficult

aims to increase knowledge and interests rather than mere exposure
to widen
vsto broaden horizons
85 2.5

To make something have more space from one side to the other so it fits or moves more easily

refers specifically to widening knowledge and experience rather than physical size
to branch out
vsto broaden horizons
23 4.0

To try new activities or areas to grow what you do

is focused on widening knowledge and experience rather than business expansion
to break out of one's comfort zone
vsto broaden horizons
  • Informal
5.1

To do new or difficult things on purpose to learn and grow

is about increasing experience range rather than focusing on challenge alone
to open one's mind
vsto broaden horizons
3.8

To be willing to think about new ideas and different views

involves active increase of knowledge and experience not only receptiveness

How Wide

to broaden horizons
5 3.7

Surface Forms

broaden horizons infinitive
broadened horizons past
broadened horizons past participle
broadening horizons present participle
broadens horizons third person singular

Morphology

broaden + horizon

The meaning 'to increase the range of one's knowledge, experience, or interests' is directly derivable from combining 'broaden' (to expand) with 'horizon(s)' (the range or limits of knowledge/experience); the figurative extension is a straightforward spatial-to-abstract mapping. This metaphorical use is cross-linguistically common and follows a clear compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Broaden horizons comes from the picture of the line where the sky meets the land or sea—the horizons—and the idea of choosing to broaden that view so you can see more. So it means 'to increase your knowledge and experience' by trying new things or seeing more of the world.