expanse

noun

ex·​panse ik-ˈspan(t)s 

1

: firmament

2

: great extent of something spread out

an expanse of calm ocean

Synonyms of expanse

• expansion
• stretch
• length

Examples of expanse in a Sentence

The explorer gazed across the vast Arctic expanse.

the great explorers who crossed the vast expanses of the seven seas in small ships

Recent Examples on the Web

Wetter than normal weather is possible for a wide expanse of the US, including Southern California, the entire southern tier states and even the East Coast. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026

It’s presented as an impressionistic historical montage, of Black farmworkers and the land, with clips of Black history that include modern suburbs, and a woman—Z herself—who gazes out of a door into a sere expanse of land bordered by low mountains. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026

Farms bring to mind the smell of hay, the sound of gravel crunching underfoot, horses snorting, grass swaying in the rolling fields, and the vast expanse of the star-studded sky. — Jeffrey Dungan, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2026

But there is a vast expanse of political real estate between blindly handing the Dreamers $975 million and barely seeming interested in the possibility of bringing Major League Baseball to Central Florida. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin expansum, from Latin, neuter of expansus, past participle of expandere

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for expanse

• advance
• askance
• enhance
• finance
• freelance
• mischance
• perchance
• romance
• chance
• dance
• glance
• hance

Kids Definition

expanse

noun

ex·​panse ik-ˈspan(t)s 

: a wide space, area, or stretch

the vast expanse of the ocean