expand

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expand

extend, swell, enlarge; spread out: It will expand its wings and fly away.

Not to be confused with:

expend – use up: expend energy; pay out; disburse; consume, empty

ex·pand

(ĭk-spănd′)

v. ex·pand·ed, ex·pand·ing, ex·pands

v.tr.

1. To increase the size, volume, quantity, or scope of; enlarge: expanded her store by adding a second room. See Synonyms at increase.

2. To express at length or in detail; enlarge on: expanded his remarks afterward.

3. To open (something) up or out; spread out: The bird expanded its wings and flew off.

4. Mathematics To write (a quantity) as a sum of terms in an extended form.

v.intr.

1. To become greater in size, volume, quantity, or scope: Air expands when heated. This critic's influence is expanding.

2. To speak or write at length or in detail: expand on a favorite topic.

3. To open up or out; unfold: The chair expands to form a daybed.

[Middle English expanden, to spread out, from Latin expandere : ex-, ex- + pandere, to spread; see petə- in Indo-European roots.]

ex·pand′a·ble adj.

ex·pand′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

expand

(ɪkˈspænd)

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. (often foll by: on) to enlarge or expatiate on (a story, topic, etc) in detail

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

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

[C15: from Latin expandere to spread out, from pandere to spread, extend]

exˈpandable adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ex•pand

(ɪkˈspænd)

v.t.

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

2. to stretch out; spread.

3. to express in fuller form or greater detail; develop: to expand a story into a novel.

a. to write (a mathematical expression) so as to show the products of its factors.

b. to rewrite (a mathematical expression) as a sum, product, etc., of terms of a particular kind: to expand a function in a power series.

v.i.

5. to increase in extent, size, scope, or volume.

6. to spread out; unfold.

7. to express something more fully (usu. fol. by on or upon).

[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin expandere to spread out =ex- ex-¹ + pandere to spread, extend]

ex•pand′a•ble, ex•pand′i•ble, adj.

ex•pand`a•bil′i•ty, ex•pand`i•bil′i•ty, n.

ex•pand′er, n.

expand

Past participle: expanded
Gerund: expanding

Imperative
expand
expand

Present
I expand
you expand
he/she/it expands
we expand
you expand
they expand

Preterite
I expanded
you expanded
he/she/it expanded
we expanded
you expanded
they expanded

Present Continuous
I am expanding
you are expanding
he/she/it is expanding
we are expanding
you are expanding
they are expanding

Present Perfect
I have expanded
you have expanded
he/she/it has expanded
we have expanded
you have expanded
they have expanded

Past Continuous
I was expanding
you were expanding
he/she/it was expanding
we were expanding
you were expanding
they were expanding

Past Perfect
I had expanded
you had expanded
he/she/it had expanded
we had expanded
you had expanded
they had expanded

Future
I will expand
you will expand
he/she/it will expand
we will expand
you will expand
they will expand

Future Perfect
I will have expanded
you will have expanded
he/she/it will have expanded
we will have expanded
you will have expanded
they will have expanded

Future Continuous
I will be expanding
you will be expanding
he/she/it will be expanding
we will be expanding
you will be expanding
they will be expanding

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been expanding
you have been expanding
he/she/it has been expanding
we have been expanding
you have been expanding
they have been expanding

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been expanding
you will have been expanding
he/she/it will have been expanding
we will have been expanding
you will have been expanding
they will have been expanding

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been expanding
you had been expanding
he/she/it had been expanding
we had been expanding
you had been expanding
they had been expanding

Conditional
I would expand
you would expand
he/she/it would expand
we would expand
you would expand
they would expand

Past Conditional
I would have expanded
you would have expanded
he/she/it would have expanded
we would have expanded
you would have expanded
they would have expanded

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	expand - extend in one or more directions; "The dough expands" spread out grow - become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast" dispread - spread abroad or out; "The sun dispread its beams" bush out - grow outward; "the plant quickly bushed out" shrink, contract - become smaller or draw together; "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank"
	2.	expand - become larger in size or volume or quantity; "his business expanded rapidly" grow - become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast" balloon, billow, inflate - become inflated; "The sails ballooned" swell up, tumesce, tumefy, intumesce, swell - expand abnormally; "The bellies of the starving children are swelling"
	3.	expand - make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity; "expand the house by adding another wing" enlarge - make larger; "She enlarged the flower beds" develop - expand in the form of a series; "Develop the function in the following form" inflate, blow up - fill with gas or air; "inflate a balloons"
	4.	expand - grow vigorously; "The deer population in this town is thriving"; "business is booming" flourish, thrive, boom revive - be brought back to life, consciousness, or strength; "Interest in ESP revived" grow - become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast" luxuriate - thrive profusely or flourish extensively
	5.	expand - exaggerate or make bigger; "The charges were inflated" inflate, amplify, blow up increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted" puff up - make larger or distend; "The estimates were puffed up"
	6.	expand - add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation" elaborate, expatiate, expound, lucubrate, dilate, flesh out, exposit, enlarge clarify, clear up, elucidate - make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death" detail - provide details for exposit, set forth, expound - state; "set forth one's reasons" illustrate, instance, exemplify - clarify by giving an example of particularise, particularize, specialise, specialize, specify - be specific about; "Could you please specify your criticism of my paper?" abbreviate, abridge, foreshorten, shorten, contract, reduce, cut - reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The manuscript must be shortened"
	7.	expand - expand the influence of; "The King extended his rule to the Eastern part of the continent" extend alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" extend, broaden, widen - extend in scope or range or area; "The law was extended to all citizens"; "widen the range of applications"; "broaden your horizon"; "Extend your backyard"

expand

verb

1. get bigger, increase, grow, extend, swell, widen, blow up, wax, heighten, enlarge, multiply, inflate, thicken, fill out, lengthen, fatten, dilate, become bigger, puff up, become larger, distend Water expands as it freezes.
get bigger contract, shrink, decrease

2. make bigger, increase, develop, extend, widen, blow up, heighten, enlarge, multiply, broaden, inflate, thicken, fill out, lengthen, magnify, amplify, augment, dilate, make larger, distend, bloat, protract We can expand the size of the image.
make bigger reduce, decrease, shorten, condense

3. spread (out), open (out), stretch (out), unfold, unravel, diffuse, unfurl, unroll, outspread The flowers fully expand at night.

expand on something go into detail about, embellish, elaborate on, develop, flesh out, expound on, enlarge on, expatiate on, add detail to He expanded on some remarks he made in his last speech.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

expand

verb

1. To make or become greater or larger:

aggrandize, amplify, augment, boost, build, build up, burgeon, enlarge, escalate, extend, grow, increase, magnify, mount, multiply, proliferate, rise, run up, snowball, soar, swell, upsurge, wax.

Informal: beef up.

2. To make or become more comprehensive or inclusive:

broaden, extend, widen.

3. To express at greater length or in greater detail:

amplify, develop, dilate, elaborate, enlarge, expatiate, labor.

4. To move or arrange so as to cover a larger area:

extend, fan (out), open (out or up), outstretch, spread, stretch, unfold, unroll.

Translations

يُوَسِّع، يُمَدِّد

ekspandereudvikle

ausdehnen dehnen expandieren

ampliar aumentar crecer desplegar dilatar

laajentaalaajentualaventaasieventäätarkentaa

agrandir dilater étendre

òenja út; stækka

espandere estensore stendere ampliare dilatare

išsiplėtimasplatybėspraplėsti

attīstītizplestizplestiesizvērstpaplašināt

uitbreiden uitzetten

faktorisere

expandir

делаться откровеннее раздаться раскрывать скобки раскрываться растягивать

širitiširiti se

faktoriserafaktoriserasutveckla

genişle mek

扩大

expand

[ɪksˈpænd]

A. VT

1. [+ market, operations, business] → ampliar; [+ metal] → dilatar; [+ number] → aumentar; [+ chest] → expandir; [+ wings] → abrir, desplegar; [+ influence, knowledge] → aumentar, ampliar

2. (= develop) [+ statement, notes] → ampliar

3. (= broaden) [+ experience, mind] → ampliar, extender; [+ horizons] → ampliar, ensanchar

B. VI

1. [gas, metal, lungs] → dilatarse; [market, operations, business] → ampliarse
to expand (up)on [+ notes, story] → ampliar, desarrollar

2. [person] (= relax) → distenderse

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

expand

[ɪkˈspænd]

(= make bigger) [+ area, size] → agrandir; [+ organization, company] → développer; [+ market] → développer

(= increase) [+ quantity, number] → accroître; [+ influence] → étendre

(= make more important) [+ role] → renforcer

[population, production] → s'accroître

[trade, influence] → se développer, s'étendre

(= operate on a bigger scale) [company] → se développer

to expand on sth [+ notes, story, comments] → développer qch

[metal, gas] → se dilater; [universe] → s'étendre

expand

vt metal, gas, liquid, empire, chest → ausdehnen, expandieren; business, trade, production → erweitern, expandieren; knowledge, mind, algebraic formula, membership → erweitern; influence, experience → vergrößern; summary, notes → weiter ausführen; ideas → entwickeln

vi (solids, gases, liquids, universe) → sich ausdehnen, expandieren; (business, trade, economy, empire) → expandieren, wachsen; (volume of trade, exports, production) → zunehmen, expandieren; (knowledge, experience, influence) → zunehmen, wachsen; (fields of knowledge, study, mind) → breiter werden; (horizons) → sich erweitern; we want to expand → wir wollen expandieren or (uns) vergrößern; the market is expanding → der Markt wächst; we’ve expanded into the European market → wir sind in den europäischen Markt vorgedrungen; expanding watchstrap → Gliederarmband nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

expand

[ɪksˈpænd]

1. vt (chest, muscles, economy) → sviluppare; (market, operations) → espandere; (business) → ingrandire; (statement, notes) → ampliare; (knowledge) → approfondire; (horizons) → allargare; (influence) → estendere

2. vi (see vt) → svilupparsi, espandersi, ingrandirsi; (gas) → espandersi; (metal, lungs) → dilatarsi
to expand on (notes, story) → ampliare

expand

(ikˈspand) verb

to make or grow larger; to spread out wider. Metals expand when heated; He does exercises to expand his chest; The school's activities have been expanded to include climbing and mountaineering.

exˈpanse (-s) noun

a wide area or extent. an expanse of water.

exˈpansion (-ʃən) noun

the act or state of expanding. the expansion of metals.

expand

vt. ensanchar, expandir, dilatar; expandirse.

expand

vt, vi expandir(se)

References in classic literature ?

Besides, I wish such persons to observe that the grand artery and the arterial vein are of much harder and firmer texture than the venous artery and the hollow vein; and that the two last expand before entering the heart, and there form, as it were, two pouches denominated the auricles of the heart, which are composed of a substance similar to that of the heart itself; and that there is always more warmth in the heart than in any other part of the body- and finally, that this heat is capable of causing any drop of blood that passes into the cavities rapidly to expand and dilate, just as all liquors do when allowed to fall drop by drop into a highly heated vessel.

View in context

This struck the Unworthy Man on the head and set him rubbing that bruised organ vigorously with one hand while vainly attempting to expand an umbrella with the other.

View in context

To expand in wordy thanks would be like saying, "I am honest." But Will had come to perceive that his defects--defects which Mr.

View in context

He may bubble with wit, or expand with good fellowship.

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New hopes are in their arms and legs, their hearts expand. They find new words, soon will their spirits breathe wantonness.

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Though, in these cases, the direction taken by any one whale be straight as a surveyor's parallel, and though the line of advance be strictly confined to its own unavoidable, straight wake, yet the arbitrary vein in which at these times he is said to swim, generally embraces some few miles in width (more or less, as the vein is presumed to expand or contract); but never exceeds the visual sweep from the whale-ship's mast-heads, when circumspectly gliding along this magic zone.

View in context

Regarding the Sperm whale's head as a solid oblong, you may, on an inclined plane, sideways divide it into two quoins, whereof the lower is the bony structure, forming the cranium and jaws, and the upper an unctuous mass wholly free from bones; its broad forward end forming the expanded vertical apparent forehead of the whale.

View in context

A shiny silk hat and a pair of worn gloves lying ready on the end of a long table looked expanded too, enormous.

View in context

"Down there," he said, "is Rosa, watching like myself, and waiting from minute to minute; down there, under Rosa's eyes, is the mysterious flower, which lives, which expands, which opens, perhaps Rosa holds in this moment the stem of the tulip between her delicate fingers.

View in context

What is the odds so long as the spirit is expanded by means of rosy wine, and the present moment is the least happiest of our existence!'

View in context

The gases of the powder, expanded by heat, forced back the atmospheric strata with tremendous violence, and this artificial hurricane rushed like a water-spout through the air.

View in context

Know, monseigneur, that in all that relates to my intimate feelings I render account only to God and to my conscience," she concluded, laying her hand on her beautiful, fully expanded bosom and looking up to heaven.