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expanding

verb

present participle of expand
1
as in developing
to express more fully and in greater detail an article on the First Ladies that the author later expanded into a book

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in increasing
to make greater in size, amount, or number we had to expand the list of wedding guests several times in order to accommodate all the relatives Mother wouldn't dream of excluding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in extending
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area a spare leaf for those times when we have to expand the dining table to accommodate extra guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rising
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number water expands when it becomes frozen

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expanding The movie explicitly positions this adaptation as expanding the source material’s examination of gender and class to include race. — Beandrea July, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026 Her accomplishments include spearheading Ulta Beauty’s TikTok Shop, expanding Ulta Beauty’s wellness offering and securing more exclusives. — Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026 Netflix is expanding its video game adaptation slate with Sega. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026 The study frames this as a new operating reality, where access is expanding, but so is complexity. — Satish Avhad, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026 There’s plenty of money to help the poor and disabled without expanding health and welfare spending indefinitely. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026 For Projeto Paradiso, the partnership also represents a strategic investment in expanding international circulation opportunities for Brazilian cinema. — John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026 Wade was one of Gansey’s first real finds as an executive, and behind the scenes pushed for his ever expanding role with the Cavaliers. — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 New naval bases are being constructed on the country’s east coast to host an expanding fleet, Kim said Sunday, according to KCNA. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expanding
  1. developing
  2. increasing
  3. extending
  4. rising
  5. accelerating
  6. opening
  7. swelling
  8. augmenting
Verb
  • The Alliance describes its role not as processing the global waste stream itself, but as developing and de-risking systems that governments, investors and waste companies can replicate.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The studies that exist today show significant impact on their brain, in particular because their brain is still developing.
    — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of developing
Verb
  • Widening gap The gap between hyperscaler CDS and bank CDS has widened to around 60 basis points from roughly 0 since October of 2025, implying that hyperscaler credit risk is increasing on its own terms, Slok's research shows.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Economic growth has also been on solid footing, though an increasing share of it has been driven by red-hot spending on AI — some of which is now being propelled by credit.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of increasing
Verb
  • However, any sense of security that three-year buffer may have offered was a mirage; Newcastle recognised that, with Hall having so many admirers across Europe, extending his contract had to be an immediate post-window priority.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, airlines are making moves for the fall and even the winter, extending seasonal flight routes beyond their usual September cutoffs.
    — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of extending
Verb
  • Highs are forecast to cool to 89 on Sunday, 85 on Monday and 88 on Tuesday before rising to 90 on Wednesday, 94 on Thursday and 92 on Friday, the forecast showed.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Both Florida and Denmark are facing rising sea levels due a warmer global climate, which causes glaciers to melt and seawater to expand.
    — Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of rising
Verb
  • Because the pace of technological change is accelerating fast.
    — Brittany Murrey, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Air Force officials have set a target of about $10 million per aircraft and are accelerating efforts to field the new system.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of accelerating
Verb
  • YouTube is having a breakthrough moment, in terms of legacy media opening its mind to what creators are capable of.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
  • That's the central question of an eye-opening new book, The Everywhere Millionaire, by two economists who have spent more than a decade researching the wealthiest Americans.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of opening
Verb
  • Compression socks apply steady, graduated pressure and are worn during travel or daily activity to ease swelling and heavy-feeling legs.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
  • For years, the fixation on Islamist terror shaped a culture drenched in fear, as voices from politics, the media, civil society, and a swelling counterterrorism-industrial complex insisted that the country faced an existential threat.
    — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of swelling
Verb
  • Bathed in the shifting light from the screen, the orchestra’s movements and playing functioned like a second drama unfolding onstage, augmenting and mirroring the original film.
    — Caitlin White, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • For the past few years, though, the merchandising team has been augmenting those brands with more products that match today’s youth consumer.
    — Jennie Bell, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of augmenting

Browse Nearby Words

expanded
expanding
expands
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Cite this Entry

“Expanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expanding. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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