as in expansions
a wide space or area
the great explorers who crossed the vast expanses of the seven seas in small ships
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expanses
Vast expanses of aluminum panels and budget glass, slabs that look like they were drawn with a hacksaw, façades checkered with air conditioners, stretches of dead street frontage—the whole neighborhood looks like a first draft.
—
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
On the northern shore, Sarakiniko serves as a particular highlight thanks to its dramatic appearance, with vast expanses of bone-white rock stretching across its shoreline.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
During this epoch, expanses of coastal plains revealed themselves as sea levels dropped by around 330 feet.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
The team calculates that, based on its distance from the star, TRAPPIST-1e might also be a relatively cool world, conceivably with liquid-water oceans or frozen expanses of ice on its surface.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2025
Backcountry exploration When people seek a break from the pace of modern life and the demands of being digitally connected, national parks contain expanses of backcountry, where signs of civilization are sparse, and where profound natural beauty, adventure and solitude are still available.
—Jeffrey C. Hallo, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
Much of the rest of the hike was dry and traversed gentle gravel bars or smooth limestone expanses, skirting the edges of grassy bluffs and rocky cliffs.
—Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
As a bit of scene-setting, Kim’s Video, for New Yorkers of a certain vintage, was once the place to explore the vast, bonkers expanses of the cinematic universe.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Then in 2023, nearly an inch of rain fell on the site, creating expanses of thick mud that required organizers to put a no-driving order in place.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2025
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
On the northern shore, Sarakiniko serves as a particular highlight thanks to its dramatic appearance, with vast expanses of bone-white rock stretching across its shoreline.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
During this epoch, expanses of coastal plains revealed themselves as sea levels dropped by around 330 feet.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
The team calculates that, based on its distance from the star, TRAPPIST-1e might also be a relatively cool world, conceivably with liquid-water oceans or frozen expanses of ice on its surface.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2025
Backcountry exploration When people seek a break from the pace of modern life and the demands of being digitally connected, national parks contain expanses of backcountry, where signs of civilization are sparse, and where profound natural beauty, adventure and solitude are still available.
—Jeffrey C. Hallo, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
Much of the rest of the hike was dry and traversed gentle gravel bars or smooth limestone expanses, skirting the edges of grassy bluffs and rocky cliffs.
—Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
As a bit of scene-setting, Kim’s Video, for New Yorkers of a certain vintage, was once the place to explore the vast, bonkers expanses of the cinematic universe.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Then in 2023, nearly an inch of rain fell on the site, creating expanses of thick mud that required organizers to put a no-driving order in place.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expanses
Noun
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The forecast factors in expansions to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, investments in AI development, and expected energy savings.—
Yu-Tzu Chiu,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Other recent big-city brand expansions to Nashville include Pastis and Craig's.—
Mackensy Lunsford,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Trucks will be prohibited along stretches of major roads that pass through residential areas, including Livernois, Dragoon, Clark, Scotten and West Grand Boulevard, as well as on all residential streets in that area.—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Once those long reads are obtained, powerful bioinformatics software is used to build longer stretches of contiguous sequence by overlapping reads that share the same sequence of bases.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Iconic species like cheetahs, leopards and the black rhino are found in the plains and forests of Tanzania.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Aquifers collapsed, fertile plains subsided, and deserts spread.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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It is designed for short distances and city commutes and has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
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The system also allows the aircraft to operate without visual observers over greater distances, the company said.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This style comes in two wash colors; short, regular, and long lengths; and sizes 00 to 24.—
Chaunie Brusie,
Parents,
7 Oct. 2025
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That film goes to great lengths to stick to the book’s winding and intricate plot.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
-
There are hundreds of options, like these soft, supple, yet affordable flannel sheets from Amazon.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Expanses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expanses. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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