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
Derived 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.
Blue Bottle opened about 100 stores and expanded into China and South Korea, but Nestlé still lost money when it exited its position in April for $400 million, according to industry estimates.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
As life gradually expanded from deeper waters into shallower marine environments, conditions became much more challenging.
From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026
All are multi-instrumentalists, and their textural range is expanded further by heavy use of sampling, while the band’s genre-fluid tendencies may owe something to its origins in Bristol.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
One company hoping to avoid any "World Cup sickies" is Birmingham-based digital agency Pull the Pin where founder Sam Hufton has expanded the firm's flexible working policy.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
His chest heaved once, as if his large heart, weary of despotic constriction, had expanded, despite the will, and made a vigorous bound for the attainment of liberty.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
