expanded
Americanadjective
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increased in area, bulk, or volume; enlarged.
an expanded version of a story.
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spread out; extended.
the expanded frontiers of the Roman Empire.
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Printing. Also (of type) wider in proportion to its height.
adjective
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Also: extended. (of printer's type) wider than usual for a particular height Compare condensed
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(of a plastic) having been foamed during manufacture by the introduction of a gas in order to make a light packaging material or heat insulator See also expanded metal
expanded polystyrene
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of expanded
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; expand + -ed 2
Explanation
Something that is expanded has been increased in size. For example, an expanded edition DVD has many more special features than the standard edition. You might prefer the expanded edition of the diary, since it contains all the extra little tidbits they were afraid to include in the original, smaller version. An expanded retail zone will mean more stores with more options. On the other hand it will likely also mean an expanded zone of chaos and cars.
Vocabulary lists containing expanded
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.
This statute greatly expanded the protections granted to authors.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
In the months that followed Wang’s guilty plea, federal investigations into allegations of public corruption and foreign influence have expanded across Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
But it certainly shouldn’t be expanded to the extent contemplated here—opening the federal courts to any passerby with a vague aesthetic grievance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Walmart, the US's largest retailer, said the nearly $3bn in tariff rebate it anticipated would help it continue a programme of price cuts or "rollbacks" that it expanded earlier this year, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
But the idea that “gifts” from Indians helped to establish and enrich the US hides that these resources were taken, often by force, as the country expanded.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
