expand

American  

[ik-spand] / ɪkˈspænd /

verb (used with object)

• expands,
  present (3rd person singular)
• expanded,
  past participle,  past
• expanding
  present participle

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

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

   Synonyms:

   enlarge, swell, extend

2. to spread or stretch out; unfold.

   A bird expands its wings.

3. to express in fuller form or greater detail; develop.

   to expand a short story into a novel.

4. 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.

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verb (used without object)

• expands,
  present (3rd person singular)
• expanded,
  past participle,  past
• expanding
  present participle

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

   Most metals expand with heat. The mind expands with experience.

2. to spread out; unfold; develop.

   The buds had not yet expanded.

3. to express something more fully or in greater detail (usually followed by on orupon ).

   to expand on a statement.

expand British  

/ ɪkˈspænd /

verb

1. to make or become greater in extent, volume, size, or scope; increase

2. to spread out or be spread out; unfold; stretch out

3. to enlarge or expatiate on (a story, topic, etc) in detail

4. (intr) to become increasingly relaxed, friendly, or talkative

5. maths to express (a function or expression) as the sum or product of terms

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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

• expandability
  noun
• expandibility
  noun
• overexpand
  verb
• reexpand
  verb
• superexpand
  verb
• preexpand
  verb (used with object)
• expandable
  adjective
• expandible
  adjective
• nonexpanding
  adjective
• self-expanding
  adjective
• unexpandable
  adjective
• unexpanding
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• expanding
  present
• expanded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• expand
  simple
• expands
  simple
• have expanded
  perfect
• has expanded
  perfect
• am expanding
  progressive
• are expanding
  progressive
• is expanding
  progressive
• have been expanding
  perfect progressive
• has been expanding
  perfect progressive

Past

• expanded
  simple
• had expanded
  perfect
• was expanding
  progressive
• were expanding
  progressive
• had been expanding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will expand
  simple
• will have expanded
  perfect
• will be expanding
  progressive
• will have been expanding
  perfect progressive

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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”

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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.

Example Sentences

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

The government also plans to expand electricity storage using batteries, Karunathilaka said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

“Hold up,'' I say out loud, and expand one of the photos. “

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

The acquisition expands CBRE’s business of delivering the guts of data centers, reflecting real estate’s growing reliance on the tech cycle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

In a world where there’s too much to do and too little time, giving direct reports more authority helps them grow and expands a team’s capacity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Arctic Ocean is covered by a vast expanse of frozen seawater that expands and contracts with the seasons.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Bernstein downgraded AT&T and cut price targets across telecom and cable stocks as SpaceX expands its wireless ambitions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

In the second kind of model, which expands forever, space is bent the other way, like the surface of a saddle.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

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

PARIS—The French government announced new teaching posts, expanded university admissions and billions of euros in loans for school renovations in its first significant concessions to student protests that have roiled the nation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 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

But this market has rapidly expanded with newly wealthy Indian families increasingly aspiring to give their children more global exposure.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

He vowed to spend more time in Haiti to oversee the expanded project.

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

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

It said the new 2026 to 2030 strategy would focus on expanding emotional, wellbeing and group support and expanding services for people living with and beyond cancer.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Rather than forming a relatively smooth, uniformly expanding structure, however, the new observations reveal that the canopy contains many narrow, thread-like features.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

When Casey retired as chairman and chief executive in 1962, UPS was transporting 107 million packages a year between cities and expanding fast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

The fire stick blows another hole in the wall, expanding my broken plank into a true escape hatch.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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