extent

noun ex·tent \ ik-ˈstent \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: extent in a Sentence

Definition of extent

1 archaic : valuation (as of land) in Great Britain especially for taxation

2 a : seizure (as of land) in execution of a writ of extent in Great Britain; also : the condition of being so seized

b : a writ giving to a creditor temporary possession of his debtor's property

3 a : the range over which something extends : scope

the extent of her jurisdiction

b : the point, degree, or limit to which something extends

using talents to the greatest extent

c : the amount of space or surface that something occupies or the distance over which it extends : magnitude

the extent of the forest

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Examples of extent in a Sentence

She tried to determine the extent of the damage.
the full extent of human knowledge
He questions the extent to which these remedies are needed.

Recent Examples of extent from the Web

To some extent, the life-or-death issues at play on the Korean Peninsula are the same ones that shaped Trump’s worldview.

— mark landler, The Seattle Times, "Trump intrigued with solving threat from North Korea," 11 June 2018
The sergeant appeared torn at this point, his sympathies to some extent with the young managers, his law to uphold, and his patience wearing thin.

— johnny miller, San Francisco Chronicle, "Rockers rebuffed over RFK wake," 6 June 2018
To some extent this is also true of privileged populations everywhere else.

— peter godwin, WSJ, "Mandela’s Troubled Legacy," 13 July 2018
That unburdens mothers, to some extent, from their disproportionate share of unpaid labor, leaving them more time to dedicate to work.

— claire zillman, Fortune, "Oprah Winfrey Empire, Angela Merkel, Paternity Leave: Broadsheet July 12th," 12 July 2018
First, democracy is to some extent inherently inefficient.

— james stavridis, Time, "Democracy Isn't Perfect, But It Will Still Prevail," 12 July 2018
Half of the 40-car field was involved to some extent in the first accident.

— mike hembree, USA TODAY, "Half of the field collides in massive crash in NASCAR Cup race at Daytona," 7 July 2018
The Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics are particularly adept at the strategy, but every team is adopting it to some extent.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Crash course in this defense a big switch for Hornets rookie Miles Bridges," 3 July 2018
The 2-0 loss Monday was perhaps not quite so painful as some of the previous fourth-game defeats, but the knowledge that Brazil was simply better will only mitigate the hurt to some extent.

— jonathan wilson, SI.com, "Neymar, Brazil Get Last Laugh in Extending Mexico's World Cup Round of 16 Misery," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'extent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of extent

Middle English, from Anglo-French estente, extente land valuation, from extendre, estendre to survey, evaluate, literally, to extend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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extent Synonyms

Synonyms

amplitude, breadth, compass, confines, dimension(s), range, reach, realm, scope, sweep, width;

Related Words

gamut, spectrum, spread;

bailiwick, circle, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, field, province, region, specialty, sphere, terrain;

frontier;

horizon, panorama;

EXTENT Defined for English Language Learners

extent

noun

Definition of extent for English Language Learners

: the range, distance, or space that is covered or affected by something or included in something
: the point or limit to which something extends or reaches