broaden one's horizons

Meaning

This expression means to expand your range of interests, knowledge, and life experiences, typically by traveling, studying, or meeting new people. It carries a positive, intellectual, and self-improving connotation. It is often used in academic, professional, or reflective travel contexts.

Examples

• Traveling solo through Asia is an excellent way to broaden your horizons and gain independence.

  Traveling solo through Asia is an excellent way to broaden your horizons and gain independence.

• The university encourages students to study abroad to broaden their horizons.

  The university encourages students to study abroad to broaden their horizons.

• She decided to take a gap year in South America to broaden her horizons before starting her career.

  She decided to take a gap year in South America to broaden her horizons before starting her career.

• Reading diverse literature can broaden your horizons just as much as physical travel.

  Reading diverse literature can broaden your horizons just as much as physical travel.

• We want our children to experience different cultures to broaden their horizons early in life.

  We want our children to experience different cultures to broaden their horizons early in life.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Traveling helps to broad your horizons.

  ✓ Traveling helps to broaden your horizons.

  'Broad' is an adjective; you must use the verb form 'broaden' in this idiom.

• ✗ He went abroad to broaden his horizon.

  ✓ He went abroad to broaden his horizons.

  The idiom is almost always used in the plural form ('horizons'), not singular.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Living in a foreign country will definitely help you ___.

  💡 Expand your worldview and experiences.

  Show answer

  broaden your horizons

• She joined the international volunteer program to ___.

  💡 Make her outlook on life wider.

  Show answer

  broaden her horizons