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

The company expects most of its profit gains to come from its product mix, limited-edition models, and personalization, with sales volumes contributing to a lesser extent.

Read more on Barron's

They include the key Israeli demand that Hamas must disarm, the extent of the Israeli withdrawal and a plan for who will govern Gaza.

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But he added: "There's an extent to which surges into parties are prompted by public profile... and they don't seem to have much chance of getting into government at the moment."

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"I will ensure that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law," she added.

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"That was the full extent of my savings. Let's put it that way. I mean, I didn't have anything else."

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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.