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

On Friday, Burnham said Britain was a "tinderbox" and outlined plans to expand support for fire services and ensure they are properly resourced.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

The company it would also expand the systems it uses to monitor dangerous behaviour, and introduce additional safety checks before resuming larger-scale training.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The Treasury Department surprised markets on Wednesday by announcing plans in September to expand a U.S. government-debt buyback program started in 2024 by former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, which provided some relief to the market.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

The deal will expand Stripe’s AI business, giving the payments company a bigger role in the rapidly growing market for AI tokens, the central unit of measurement for processing AI queries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The rumble starts to expand inside me again, it presses against my stomach, my ribs.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

The group has yet to turn a profit, even as it expands into areas including cryptocurrency holdings and clean-energy investments.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Warmer water causes a rise in the sea surface height because water expands as temperature rises.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

The outlook comes as AST SpaceMobile expands its satellite constellation and adds commercial and government contracts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

The presence of a form related to the Euparkeriidae in South America significantly expands the known geographic distribution of these animals.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

Her diaphragm expands and I hear her yawn.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Rather than appearing smoothly throughout the material, it began in isolated regions that expanded outward, resembling the way ice crystals begin forming in liquid water.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

Moderna and Merck teamed up in 2016 to jointly develop personalized mRNA cancer vaccines and expanded that partnership over time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

That makes regions like Guizhou and Inner Mongolia, which have massively expanded renewable capacity like solar and wind, ideal for operators looking to meet those commitments, said Simeng Deng, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

But film industry advocates say the corporate tax credit cap will hurt film producers and undercut the effectiveness of the state’s expanded film and TV tax credits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

That summer Farmer expanded and refined the health census he’d begun in 1981.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

But with the Department for Work and Pensions expanding its AI-assisted call centre and local councils following suit, she says older people are increasingly feeling shut out by new technology when contacting services they need.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

The Huel brand has seen rapid growth over the years, expanding its range to include ready meals, nutrition bars, and health drinks, all of which are plant-based.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

In Subic Bay, there are mixed feelings about the U.S. military’s expanding presence, despite overall strong support for the alliance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

She noted that Europe had long benefitted from "three pillars" -- a rules-based global order underpinned by US security guarantees, cheap energy and expanding global trade.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The wonder, as Stephen Hawking has noted, is that no one had hit on the idea of the expanding universe before.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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