Synonyms

expand

American

[ik-spand] / ɪkˈspænd /

verb (used with object)

to increase in extent, size, volume, scope, etc..

Heat expands most metals. He hopes to expand his company.

Synonyms:

enlarge, swell, extend
to spread or stretch out; unfold.

A bird expands its wings.
to express in fuller form or greater detail; develop.

to expand a short story into a novel.
Mathematics.
1. to write (a mathematical expression) so as to show the products of its factors.
2. to rewrite (a mathematical expression) as a sum, product, etc., of terms of a particular kind.
  
  to expand a function in a power series.

verb (used without object)

to increase or grow in extent, bulk, scope, etc..

Most metals expand with heat. The mind expands with experience.
to spread out; unfold; develop.

The buds had not yet expanded.
to express something more fully or in greater detail (usually followed by on orupon ).

to expand on a statement.

expand British

/ ɪkˈspænd /

verb

to make or become greater in extent, volume, size, or scope; increase
to spread out or be spread out; unfold; stretch out
to enlarge or expatiate on (a story, topic, etc) in detail
(intr) to become increasingly relaxed, friendly, or talkative
maths to express (a function or expression) as the sum or product of terms

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does expand mean? To expand is to increase the extent or dimensions of something, as when a balloon expands when you blow air into it. Expand can describe the increasing size of something in height, width, length, scope, boundary, or any other measurable unit of size, as when you expand an app menu by clicking on a down arrow. To expand can also mean to stretch out or unfold, such as when a bird expands its wings when it gets ready to fly. Figuratively, to expand means to develop or to express more fully, as in Disney really expanded the Star Wars universe when it bought the rights to it. A common use of expand is in the phrase expand upon, meaning to give greater detail or context. When teachers tell you to expand upon your essay’s theme, for example, they want you to describe the theme in more detail or give the theme more context so that readers will understand it better. Example: Click and drag the corner of the square to expand it on the digital canvas.

Synonym Usage

Expand, dilate, distend, inflate imply becoming larger and filling more space. To expand is to spread out, usually in every direction: to expand one's chest. To dilate is especially to increase the width or circumference, and applies to space enclosed within confines or to hollow bodies: to dilate the pupils of the eyes. To distend is to stretch, often beyond the point of natural expansion: to distend an artery. To inflate is to blow out or swell a hollow body with air or gas: to inflate a balloon.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of expand

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English expanden, from Latin expandere “to spread out,” equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + pandere “to extend, stretch”

Explanation

The verb expand means to make something bigger or wider. It might refer to something concrete, as when you blow into a balloon and make it expand, or something more abstract, as when you study to expand your mind. Expand is a combination of the Latin words ex-, meaning "out," and pandere, "to spread." The idea of spreading out was always there, though the current idea of something actually becoming larger was first recorded in the mid-17th century. Expand is a versatile word that can refer to anything getting bigger, from a nation's growing influence in a neighboring country to a waistline that needs a larger belt.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing expand

Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Beowulf vocabulary

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

expand expands expanded expanding

Polymarket named Warren Jenson as its first companywide CFO, who joins at a pivotal time as the company looks to expand its market share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Now the researchers are using the mass of information to develop AI models that can speed up and expand vital weather and climate forecasting.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Beyond the evolutionary findings, the researchers developed several experimental and computational methods that could expand what scientists can learn from valuable human fossils.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Other considerations to expand overseas include “regulation and risk diversification,” StoneX analyst Yi Fu Lee told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

As it continues to shake, the edges of the book expand to twice its original size, and it gets thicker too.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

As the material expands, it develops an open network of microscopic pores.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

“Cold storage is not a risk to communities — it is an essential service that lowers food costs, expands food access and creates jobs.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

A timely acquisition expands the company’s production and improves profitability.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Swooping up paintings, sculpture, silver, furniture and everyday objects made between 1700 and the 1950s, it vastly expands the definition of art and mixes disparate objects together in loosely chronological galleries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

She uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that’s not the scary part.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

They traveled into the tumors, expanded where they were needed, and remained active for weeks while mostly avoiding healthy organs.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

The WSJ’s Andrew Tangel and Hanna Krueger write that 21 Air flies for carriers such as Amazon and DHL Express and has expanded rapidly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

He expects any criticism of US policies to be "vague and indirect", reflecting the sharply divergent interests within the expanded group.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Inflation concerns have also been driving government bond yields higher, and they jumped further Wednesday after the US Treasury announced an expanded buyback programme that appeared to disappoint investors who had expected more.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

As plantation farming expanded, particularly tobacco and cotton farming, demand increased greatly for both labor and land.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

A national men's mental health and suicide prevention charity marking its 10-year anniversary is expanding further in Devon.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Vanderbilt University is expanding plans for a graduate campus in West Palm Beach, from 1,000 to 2,000 students, and will include defense tech and national-security studies in the context of space, energy and infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Last year Washington designated several of Ecuador's top gangs as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations," expanding the legal tools available to US authorities and paving the way for closer military and intelligence cooperation.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Because the Universe is expanding, this signal becomes stretched to longer wavelengths as it travels through space.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

Worldly residents and new wealth meant expanding factories, fashionable shops, and successful banks.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023