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.

---

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

---

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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expand expands expanded expanding

I have voted for multiple budgets that have maintained our police staffing, sought to expand our police staffing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

“The laws will expand opportunities for place-bound and underserved students throughout California while maintaining a focus on documented regional workforce needs and continued coordination among the CSU, UC and community colleges,” the CSU spokesperson said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Accenture and Anthropic are also business partners, external, with Accenture having previously agreed to help Anthropic expand the use of Claude among businesses.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Each will receive a £1m prize to help expand their project.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Other studies, which analyze plumes of gas or the number of gravitational lenses in a given field of view, also support the supernova results, implying that the cosmos will expand forever.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The Welsh government said support for "disadvantaged children will be enhanced" as it expands its free childcare policy.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

As the material expands, it develops an open network of microscopic pores.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

“By precomputing AlphaGenome’s predictions at scale, we have created an easily accessible resource that vastly expands the model’s reach,” the AI lab explained in a press release.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

A timely acquisition expands the company’s production and improves profitability.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

And why is the direction of time in which disorder increases the same as that in which the universe expands?

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

Prof Niamh Nic Daeid, director of Dundee University's Leverhulme laboratory, said its expanded role as a national drug testing and research centre would make a difference too.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

In June he revealed a state budget measure that capped how much in tax credits a business can claim each year, a limit industry groups warned would undercut the expanded program.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

The full agreement has not been released, leaving unanswered questions about the size of an expanded U.S. military presence and how much authority Washington would have over foreign investments.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

By 1997, it had expanded to Europe and South Africa and was closing more than one million transaction sides a year in the U.S. alone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Congress later expanded the law to include Hispanic, Asian, Native American and other minority citizens, and in so doing, transformed America’s political landscape.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Roberts argued there was a "very big opportunity" for manufacturers to redirect skills, factories and investment into the UK's expanding aerospace and defence sectors.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

A CSU spokesperson said that the university system “appreciates” Newsom signing the bills into law, and called them “a thoughtful, student-centered approach to expanding community colleges’ ability to offer bachelor’s degrees.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

When Cooper reported its third-quarter earnings earlier this month, it said it is expanding its U.S. sales force to reach 5,000 additional eye-care offices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Goldstein told MarketWatch that investor sentiment depends on Tesla expanding the robotaxi service, “tangible” progress with the Optimus humanoid robots and improving free cash flow.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

The room around them changes again, expanding into an empty ballroom.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• bolster
• broaden
• develop
• enlarge
• grow
• increase
• open
• spread
• swell
• widen