extent

[ik-stent]

noun

1. the space or degree to which a thing extends; length, area, volume, or scope.

   the extent of his lands; to be right to a certain extent.

   Synonyms: length, reach, stretch, expanse, range, compass, amount, measure, magnitude

2. something extended, as a space; a particular length, area, or volume; something having extension.

   the limitless extent of the skies.

3. U.S. Law.,  a writ, or a levy, by which a debtor's lands are valued and transferred to the creditor, absolutely or for a term of years.

4. English Law.

   1. Also called writ of extent. a writ to recover debts of a record due to the crown, under which land, property, etc., may be seized.

   2. a seizure made under such a writ.

5. Logic.,  extension.

6. Archaic.,  assessment or valuation, as of land.

extent

/ ɪkˈstɛnt /

noun

1. the range over which something extends; scope

   the extent of the damage

2. an area or volume

   a vast extent of concrete

3. law a writ authorizing a person to whom a debt is due to assume temporary possession of his debtor's lands

4. logic another word for extension

Other Word Forms

• preextent noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of extent¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English extente “assessment,” from Medieval Latin extenta, noun use of feminine of Latin extentus “stretched out,” past participle of extendere “to stretch out”; extend

Word History and Origins

Origin of extent¹

C14: from Old French extente, from Latin extentus extensive, from extendere to _extend

Idioms and Phrases

see to some degree (extent).

Example Sentences

Data collection is slow, difficult and error-prone, it added – hampering efforts to understand the extent of Fiji's HIV epidemic and the efficacy of the outbreak response.

From BBC

"It's really difficult to grasp the extent of this melt," explains Dr Huss.

From BBC

Environmental advocates say the extent of the fallout may not be known until there is a larger examination of air quality monitors.

From Los Angeles Times

Shortstop, of course, failed to explain the full extent of Betts’ hitting problems.

From Los Angeles Times

There has also been a decline in church attendance, though London has to some extent bucked that trend.

From BBC

Related Words

• amount 
• breadth 
• degree 
• duration 
• expansion 
• intensity 
• length 
• matter 
• measure 
• quantity 
• scope 
• size 
• term 

When To Use

What is extent?

Extent is the length, area, volume, or scope something reaches to, as in The extent of Sheree’s knowledge of science fiction was very deep.Extent is a very common term that can refer to measurements, concepts, ideals, plans, and many other fields that measure anything, literal or figurative.Extent can also refer to something that has a lengthening, stretching out, or enlarging scope, especially when the boundaries aren’t known. You might hear someone talk about the limitless extent of space, for example.The phrase the extent of means that something has reached the extreme or the border of how far it can go, as in I can raise your allowance by $5, but that’s the extent of what I can do.Example: We know that the pan can get hot, but we are unsure to what extent.