Synonyms of expanding

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• developing
• supplementing
• amplifying
• enlarging (on or upon)
• complementing
• elaborating (on)
• dilating (on or upon)
• adding (to)
• fleshing (out)
• discoursing
• running on
• rambling
• expatiating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shortening
• contracting
• condensing
• compressing
• abridging
• outlining
• summarizing
• abbreviating
• summing up

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

• increasing
• accelerating
• augmenting
• boosting
• extending
• multiplying
• raising
• enhancing
• enlarging
• reinforcing
• intensifying
• strengthening
• amplifying
• escalating
• swelling
• maximizing
• adding (to)
• stoking
• upping
• compounding
• aggrandizing
• building up
• pumping up
• supersizing
• hyping
• developing
• supplementing
• lengthening
• stretching
• jumping
• booming
• skyrocketing
• inflating
• heightening
• spiking
• complementing
• distending
• elongating
• prolonging
• dilating
• bumping (up)
• drawing out
• accumulating
• ratcheting (up)
• magnifying
• collecting
• amassing
• blowing up
• protracting
• fleshing (out)
• racheting (up)
• beefing (up)
• following up
• parlaying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reducing
• decreasing
• diminishing
• lowering
• dwindling
• lessening
• downsizing
• subtracting (from)
• curtailing
• shortening
• abating
• abridging
• contracting
• abbreviating
• compressing
• condensing
• constricting
• minifying
• de-escalating
• retrenching
• cutting back

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

• extending
• opening
• unfolding
• spreading (out)
• stretching (out)
• flaring (out)
• outstretching
• unfurling
• fanning (out)
• outspreading
• overspreading

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• contracting
• closing
• reducing
• folding
• compressing
• condensing
• compacting

4

as in rising

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number

water expands when it becomes frozen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• increasing
• rising
• accelerating
• swelling
• multiplying
• climbing
• intensifying
• enlarging
• proliferating
• spreading
• waxing
• accumulating
• escalating
• mushrooming
• burgeoning
• ballooning
• booming
• gaining
• mounting
• snowballing
• rolling up
• surging
• appreciating
• jumping
• heightening
• building up
• skyrocketing
• inflating
• rocketing
• distending
• redoubling
• peaking
• puffing (up)
• bulking
• cresting
• blowing up
• crescendoing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decreasing
• diminishing
• contracting
• lessening
• receding
• dwindling
• waning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of expanding

Satellite imagery has already spied an area of rising seas expanding north from South and Central America to California’s Baja Peninsula, with a northward expansion expected from there. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

All six of his solo shows — Sleepwalk with Me, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, Thank God For Jokes, The New One, The Old Man & The Pool and The Good Life — have enjoyed successful runs on and off Broadway before expanding their audiences on Netflix. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026

That piece followed others from industry leaders arguing both for and against the merger, expanding the debate beyond legal filings. — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026

Similar to a helicopter, the electric taxi concepts lift off vertically and don’t need a runway, creating a niche for expanding such air travel just a few thousand feet overhead in one of the world’s busiest air travel hubs. — Pat Maio, Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026

That is not only a problem for expanding power grid infrastructure to support growing electricity demand, but also delays the process of replacing aging power transformers. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

The field is expanding to include thieves from other sectors, lured by the comparatively low-risk, high-reward nature of art thefts. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026

Application trends at Wake Forest School of Medicine Applicant interest is steadily increasing — a clear sign of strong demand for the expanding program, according to Birch. — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026

Ukraine has been significantly expanding its long-range strikes deep into Russia in recent months, with prime targets including urban centers, fuel processing facilities, logistics hubs and military sites. — David Brennan, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026