expanded; expanding; expands
1
: to open up : unfold
2
: to increase the extent, number, volume, or scope of : enlarge
3
a
: to express at length or in greater detail
b
: to write out in full
expand all abbreviations
c
: to subject to mathematical expansion
expand a function in a power series
1
: to open out : spread
2
: to increase in extent, number, volume, or scope
3
: to speak or write fully or in detail
expanded on the theme
4
: to feel generous or optimistic
Examples of expand in a Sentence
The liquid expands and contracts with changes in temperature.
His business has expanded to serve the entire state.
The coffee shop may expand into a full restaurant.
He has expanded his business to serve the entire state.
There are plans to expand the airport.
The police have decided to expand their investigation.
She plans to expand the lecture series into a book.
Expand the abbreviation “deg.” to “degree.”
Recent Examples on the Web
For 2024, the list was expanded to 450 companies and looked at their emissions between 2020 and 2022.
—
Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Read: The Last of Us and the power of video games
One of the best things about the TV adaptation has been its ability to expand past the limits of the game’s storytelling.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2025
Believed to have originated in 15th-century Italy as a card game used by nobility, the original deck was expanded and popularized by 18th-century French occultists; and again later in the 20th century, when modern tarot was born thanks to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, published in 1909.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2025
Then, expand your repertoire and hit the road with the Ceramide Ato Travel Kit, which features a mini version of the cream plus a travel-size Ceramide Ato 6.0 Top to Toe Wash and Ceramide Ato Lotion.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expand
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Read: The Last of Us and the power of video games
One of the best things about the TV adaptation has been its ability to expand past the limits of the game’s storytelling.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2025
Believed to have originated in 15th-century Italy as a card game used by nobility, the original deck was expanded and popularized by 18th-century French occultists; and again later in the 20th century, when modern tarot was born thanks to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, published in 1909.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2025
Then, expand your repertoire and hit the road with the Ceramide Ato Travel Kit, which features a mini version of the cream plus a travel-size Ceramide Ato 6.0 Top to Toe Wash and Ceramide Ato Lotion.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expand
Cite this Entry
“Expand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expand. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
expand
verb
ex·pand
ik-ˈspand 
1
: to open wide : unfold
a bird with wings expanded
2
: to increase in size, number, or amount
substances expand when heated
the expanding universe
their work expanded
3
: to work out in greater detail
expand an argument
4
: to perform the indicated mathematical operations of : write out in full
expand both sides of an equation
expander
noun
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