by a lot of people, or in a lot of placesIt is widely expected that the mayor will make an announcement this morning.
He has traveled widely in South America.
The drug is widely used in the treatment of cancer.
a widely held view/belief/opinion
Organic foods are now much more widely available.
a newspaper that is widely read (=read by a lot of people)
She’s very widely read (=she has read a lot of books).