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expand - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'expand' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Expand [ v. i.]
- To become widely opened, spread apart, dilated, distended, or enlarged; as, flowers expand in the spring; metals expand by heat; the heart expands with joy.
2 . Expand [ v. t.]
- To lay open by extending; to open wide; to spread out; to diffuse; as, a flower expands its leaves.
- To cause the particles or parts of to spread themselves or stand apart, thus increasing bulk without addition of substance; to make to occupy more space; to dilate; to distend; to extend every way; to enlarge; -- opposed to contract; as, to expand the chest; heat expands all bodies; to expand the sphere of benevolence.
- To state in enlarged form; to develop; as, to expand an equation. See Expansion, 5.

Meaning of 'expand' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . expand [ v]
Meaning (1):
- grow vigorously
Example in sentence:
  • business is booming;
  • The deer population in this town is thriving
Meaning (2):
- make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity
Example in sentence:
  • expand the house by adding another wing
Meaning (3):
- become larger in size or volume or quantity
Example in sentence:
  • his business expanded rapidly
Meaning (4):
- add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing
Example in sentence:
  • She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation
Meaning (5):
- exaggerate or make bigger
Example in sentence:
  • The charges were inflated
Meaning (6):
- extend in one or more directions
Example in sentence:
  • The dough expands
Meaning (7):
- expand the influence of
Example in sentence:
  • The King extended his rule to the Eastern part of the continent

Nearby Words:

expanded expander expanding expanse expansibility expansible expansile expansion expansive expansure

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