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.

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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

He said the company’s valuation’s is likely to expand if it can better convert revenue growth into profit.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Raman has said in campaign materials she would expand the mayor’s community safety office to oversee unarmed crisis response programs as well as other city agencies such as sanitation, fire and transportation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Such capabilities could expand the technology's usefulness in electronics, thermal protection, and applications involving infrared detection.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

Pleasant River Lumber Company is producing 110 million board feet of softwood lumber per year at its main sawmill in Enfield and aims to expand production.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

She was in front of him now, and Jack felt his chest expand and then freeze, an inhalation with no companion.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

As personal-finance education expands in high schools, it’s no longer just about learning how to balance a checkbook.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

This arrangement greatly expands the brain's surface area, creating room for billions of neurons that support complex thinking and other advanced mental abilities.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

Plus, a U.A.E.-based startup expands into Silicon Valley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

The deal expands the relationship between the two companies and continues a dealmaking streak by the Swiss drugmaker in China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Others ask how she’s doing and she expands a little more.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

From a year earlier, the economy expanded 3.4 percent, slightly below the 3.7 percent recorded in the previous quarter.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

It previously estimated the economy in August expanded 0.2% from the month before, which would represent a fourth month of growth in the last five after essentially no change in July.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

During Conway's time in charge, the society expanded from a membership of 5,000 at its start to 20,000 by the time of his death in 1933, representing 95% of the town.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

By 2025, the company had expanded the program to more than forty optional lessons, including short videos and personalized recommendations.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

The golden lines on the Box brightened and expanded until two straps extended from the glowing chest.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

South Korea's economy recorded its fastest growth in more than five years during the first quarter, expanding 1.7 percent month-on-month thanks to soaring chip demand.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

After a pianissimo, ambient rumble combined with a brisk layer of tapping, both produced inside the piano, a gentle, melancholy theme is played on the keyboard, repeating and gradually expanding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

At the same time, expanding manufacturing capacity and qualifying products will take time, meaning supply will remain limited, Daryanani said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

"But its expanding uses also reveal how people are responding to that impulse. Some embrace it. Some exaggerate it for laughs. Others subvert it entirely to describe stepping back from the relentless pursuit of more."

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

The sum of worldly knowledge is expanding daily; fortunes are rising to dizzying heights.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

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