What does expand mean?

expand means "extend in one or more directions". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in expand?

expand has 2 syllables: ex-pand. The stress falls on "pand". In IPA it is /ɪkˈspænd/.

What is another word for expand?

Close synonyms include spread out, boom, thrive, flourish, inflate. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of expand?

The recorded antonyms are contract, contract.

Is expand a common word?

expand is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

expand — meaning, pronunciation and 7 definitions

verb

7 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
extend in one or more directions
“The dough expands”
Synonymsspread out
Antonymscontract
Broadergrow
Narrowerdispread bush out
2.
become larger in size or volume or quantity
“his business expanded rapidly”
Broadergrow
Narrowerballoon swell
3.
make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity
“expand the house by adding another wing”
Broaderenlarge
Narrowerdevelop inflate
4.
grow vigorously
“The deer population in this town is thriving”
“business is booming”
Synonymsboom thrive flourish
Broadergrow
Narrowerrevive luxuriate
5.
exaggerate or make bigger
“The charges were inflated”
Synonymsinflate blow up amplify
Broaderincrease
Narrowerpuff up
6.
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”
Synonymselaborate lucubrate expatiate exposit enlarge flesh out expound dilate
Antonymscontract
Broaderclarify
Narrowerdetail set forth exemplify specify
7.
expand the influence of
“The King extended his rule to the Eastern part of the continent”
Synonymsextend
Broaderchange

Other forms of expand

past tense: expanded·
present participle: expanding·
third person: expands·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about expand

What does expand mean?: expand means "extend in one or more directions". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in expand?: expand has 2 syllables: ex-pand. The stress falls on "pand". In IPA it is /ɪkˈspænd/.
What is another word for expand?: Close synonyms include spread out, boom, thrive, flourish, inflate. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
What is the opposite of expand?: The recorded antonyms are contract, contract.
Is expand a common word?: expand is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for expand come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.

verb

7 sensesAn action, occurrence or state of being.

1.
extend in one or more directions
“The dough expands”
Synonymsspread out
Antonymscontract
Broadergrow
Narrowerdispread bush out
2.
become larger in size or volume or quantity
“his business expanded rapidly”
Broadergrow
Narrowerballoon swell
3.
make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity
“expand the house by adding another wing”
Broaderenlarge
Narrowerdevelop inflate
4.
grow vigorously
“The deer population in this town is thriving”
“business is booming”
Synonymsboom thrive flourish
Broadergrow
Narrowerrevive luxuriate
5.
exaggerate or make bigger
“The charges were inflated”
Synonymsinflate blow up amplify
Broaderincrease
Narrowerpuff up
6.
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”
Synonymselaborate lucubrate expatiate exposit enlarge flesh out expound dilate
Antonymscontract
Broaderclarify
Narrowerdetail set forth exemplify specify
7.
expand the influence of
“The King extended his rule to the Eastern part of the continent”
Synonymsextend
Broaderchange

Other forms of expand

past tense: expanded·
present participle: expanding·
third person: expands·

Questions about expand

What does expand mean?: expand means "extend in one or more directions". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in expand?: expand has 2 syllables: ex-pand. The stress falls on "pand". In IPA it is /ɪkˈspænd/.
What is another word for expand?: Close synonyms include spread out, boom, thrive, flourish, inflate. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
What is the opposite of expand?: The recorded antonyms are contract, contract.
Is expand a common word?: expand is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

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