expands

verb

present tense third-person singular of expand
1
as in develops
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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2
as in increases
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

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3
as in extends
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

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4
as in rises
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number water expands when it becomes frozen

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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 expands This is becoming especially important as the AI economy expands. — H.e. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 Larger aircraft expands capacity The 737-10 typically seats between 185 and 210 passengers in a two-class configuration, although its maximum seating capacity reaches 230. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026 The five-star analyst said that a major focus of the roadshow was the XPU and XPU Attach mix, as Marvell's Custom business expands toward its FY31 revenue target of $30 billion. — Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026 Learning from those conversations and becoming part of a large community expands the scope of what is possible is Mahama’s practice. — Gameli Hamelo, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 For over 20 years, Erika Lust has been fighting against those preconceptions, creating adult content that expands the parameters of pornography while approaching it as something akin to mainstream independent cinema. — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 The move, which comes just as the Alex Gibney’s investigation into Elon Musk expands to more than 470 screens across North America, raises concerns about Big Tech suppression that the very film seeks to expose. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026 The film also expands Bird Island with Pigtropolis, a city for its pig residents. — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026 As the footprint expands across major creative capitals, both founders remain adamantly protective of the core intimacy that defines their mission. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expands
  1. develops
  2. increases
  3. extends
  4. rises
  5. accelerates
  6. opens
  7. swells
  8. augments
Verb
  • The song develops into a slow-burn, lighters-up jam, its long, unhurried coda like getting lost in a sea of echoing, overlapping memories.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There is a small chance for isolated Coastal Flood Warnings (highest chances Wednesday-Thursday) if larger surf develops.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of develops
Verb
  • Treating these as separate challenges increases cost and complexity over time.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • As the bleak second law of thermodynamics states, entropy always increases over time in a closed system.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • Applegate’s willingness to share her experience has brought attention to an issue that extends far beyond any one person’s diagnosis.
    — Bruce Bebo, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But the versatility of the color doesn’t end with clothes; the beauty of camel extends to accessories, making even the smallest details feel luxe.
    — InStyle, InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of extends
Verb
  • The agreement comes as electricity demand rises across the United States, driven partly by expanding data centers, manufacturing and electrification.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Dyerville Loop Road begins along the Eel River in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, then rises into the foothills of Humboldt County, California before dropping back down to the river near Fort Seward.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • CoreMotion technology accelerates the transition from autonomy development and experimentation to operationally relevant capability, as per the release.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Every clinical breakthrough has cost implications, accelerates the pace of change and widens the gap between what is scientifically possible and what is practical for clinicians delivering care.
    — Brad Kreick, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of accelerates
Verb
  • Tao Okamoto, meanwhile, lends a gentle intensity to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, which opens in theaters on November 25.
    — Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The 3,230-square-foot space, which opens on Saturday, spans two floors with the ground level meant to resemble a living room.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of opens
Verb
  • Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the population swells in the summer months.
    — Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Seaglider is designed to handle ocean swells up to a meter and a half high.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • Enabling that mode augments the on-device scam detection first shipped in March 2025, adding cloud analysis run in Google’s Private AI Compute environment.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That the stakes are high only augments the thrill of unlocking their working equation.
    — Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of augments

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expanding
expands
expanse
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Cite this Entry

“Expands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expands. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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