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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rises
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
water expands when it becomes frozen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 expands
The speaker lineup also reflects just how far the festival expands of beyond traditional advertising.
—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Human spaceflight often expands beyond purely technical or scientific endeavors into ones of national pride and importance.
—
Margaret Landis,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
As the polymer expands, the tiny pores dilate, allowing larger molecules to slip through.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
The gas in your stomach expands as the pressure drops, leaving you bloated.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
The stretchy fabric expands to move with you whether you’re seated or walking around the cabin.
—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
Cabins aren’t fully pressurized, so the gas in your stomach expands at altitude and leaves you bloated.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
Every successful launch expands the market, and autonomous spacecraft have already proven the model, exploring Mars, flying past Pluto, and leaving the solar system without a single human aboard.
—
Omar Kardoudi
may 29,
New Atlas,
29 May 2026
Its acquisition of the 219 Big Lots stores expands its footprint to over 600 stores across 18 states.
—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Human spaceflight often expands beyond purely technical or scientific endeavors into ones of national pride and importance.
—
Margaret Landis,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
As the polymer expands, the tiny pores dilate, allowing larger molecules to slip through.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
The gas in your stomach expands as the pressure drops, leaving you bloated.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
The stretchy fabric expands to move with you whether you’re seated or walking around the cabin.
—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
Cabins aren’t fully pressurized, so the gas in your stomach expands at altitude and leaves you bloated.
—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
Every successful launch expands the market, and autonomous spacecraft have already proven the model, exploring Mars, flying past Pluto, and leaving the solar system without a single human aboard.
—
Omar Kardoudi
may 29,
New Atlas,
29 May 2026
Its acquisition of the 219 Big Lots stores expands its footprint to over 600 stores across 18 states.
—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expands
Verb
-
As this increasingly audacious killer develops a devoted following among the city’s powerless, Bishop becomes convinced these murders connect back to SF’s most powerful man, his own father, Lincoln Graves (John Malkovich).
-
The Federal Emergency Management Agency develops and updates maps that determine who's in a flood plain and must buy insurance, and to help communities plan.
Verb
-
That increases borrowing costs across the wider economy, including people’s mortgage rates.
-
People taking diuretics, beta-blockers or any transdermal medication patches should check with a doctor first since heat significantly increases drug absorption through the skin.
Verb
-
Tuesday’s ruling declares the case a class action and extends the order nationwide.
-
Leadership extends far beyond an intellectual and emotional endeavor.
Verb
-
And when a bond is dumped, its yield — or the interest the government must pay new investors in those same bonds — rises.
-
Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026.
Verb
-
Pipeline growth often accelerates for organizations that invest in content designed to genuinely help buyers evaluate challenges and make informed decisions.
-
Shares have jumped 80% in the year to date as an ongoing memory supply crunch accelerates the adoption of lithography equipment for the production of semiconductors required to power the AI revolution.
Verb
-
Season 3 opens with the Battle of the Gullet, the largest naval battle in the history of Westeros, and the moment that the Dance of Dragons kicks off in earnest.
-
The student-run Yale Summer Cabaret opens its summer season dance/theater adaptation by TImothy Hartel of Euripides’ ever-popular tragedy about the god Dionysus descending to Earth and causing all kinds of trouble.
Verb
-
Weather service and public safety officials said the safest thing to do is to stay away from the beaches altogether until the southern swells start subsiding.
-
Storms and swells reshape the landscape.
Verb
-
This is the first of a new type of rideshare program flying to that orbit that augments SpaceX’s Transporter program that flies to SSO.
-
The core group now augments itself with the bass clarinetist Madison Greenstone, trombonist Weston Olencki, and, for the first time in the band’s history, vocals.
Cite this Entry
“Expands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expands. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
