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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of expanding
The Southern Anoka County Assistance food shelf (SACA) is expanding to meet a growing need in Columbia Heights.
—
Ashley Grams, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
The store initially sold ice cream before expanding to chocolates in 1965.
—Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
The airport is currently undergoing a $9 billion modernization effort, which involves redeveloping the central terminal, expanding the south terminal and upgrading all elevators, escalators, moving walkways and bathrooms throughout the complex.
—Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The agreements under discussion are expected to focus on stabilizing existing production rather than rapidly expanding it, with an emphasis on rehabilitating fields, improving refining capacity and restoring the country’s fragile power grid — a critical constraint on energy operations.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Reforms like expanding school choice?
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
However, its ever-expanding online mode provides a seemingly unending scope of things to do.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Organizers say the event continues to grow each year, drawing larger crowds and expanding its reach.
—Alex Distefano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
An Emmy-winning design expert and television host, Berk’s design firm first began as an online business, then grew into a furniture store before ultimately expanding.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Ashley Grams, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
The store initially sold ice cream before expanding to chocolates in 1965.
—Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
The airport is currently undergoing a $9 billion modernization effort, which involves redeveloping the central terminal, expanding the south terminal and upgrading all elevators, escalators, moving walkways and bathrooms throughout the complex.
—Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The agreements under discussion are expected to focus on stabilizing existing production rather than rapidly expanding it, with an emphasis on rehabilitating fields, improving refining capacity and restoring the country’s fragile power grid — a critical constraint on energy operations.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Reforms like expanding school choice?
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
However, its ever-expanding online mode provides a seemingly unending scope of things to do.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Organizers say the event continues to grow each year, drawing larger crowds and expanding its reach.
—Alex Distefano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
An Emmy-winning design expert and television host, Berk’s design firm first began as an online business, then grew into a furniture store before ultimately expanding.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expanding
Verb
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This approach means partnering with local educational institutions, developing a robust curriculum and providing clear growth paths from day one.—
Mike Kelleher,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
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Her company is developing a slate of five to seven projects per year across both short and feature formats.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These organizations, striving to fill the information gap created by the state government’s increasing drift toward secrecy — can’t rely on taxpayers to pay their bills.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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These changes were to be achieved by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the consumption of meat and eggs, and substituting nonfat milk for whole milk.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The plan, conveyed through mediators in Pakistan to break a stalemate with Washington, calls for extending the ceasefire so the parties can work toward a permanent end to the fighting, Axios said.—
Jon Herskovitz,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Vargas then homered to left field, extending the lead to 8-5.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s why David Gallo’s setting, a vista of a fragile boarding house nearly consumed by the rising, sun-blotting, industrial landscape of Pittsburgh, works so effectively here.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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After a faulty cooling system was left to disrepair, rising temperatures resulted in an explosion with the equivalent force of 70-100 tons of TNT.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The growing fleet is accelerating development by generating large-scale data for Helix, the company’s humanoid AI model, while enabling real-world deployment across research, commercial, and domestic use cases, according to a blog by Figure.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
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Polls show Americans are angry — and rightly so — at accelerating medical bills.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After opening the season with three wins and a solid fourth outing in a Rays victory, Matz had a rough start on April 21 against the Reds, allowing three home runs and lasting only three innings.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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The bill would not ban the cards but would restrict how and when health care providers are able to offer them to patients in hopes of ensuring customers are aware of their terms and not pushed into opening them.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Complications from measles include ear infections, hearing loss, pneumonia, croup, diarrhea, blindness, and swelling of the brain, the CDC said.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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Measuring just several tens of cubic millimeters, the new microbattery eliminates many of the safety risks associated with traditional lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion), such as swelling, leakage, and overheating, by avoiding liquid electrolytes.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Supporters’ contributions help change students’ lives by relieving financial burdens, augmenting the resources that support student learning inside and outside the classroom, the release said.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has said that augmenting the trenches is a priority.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expanding. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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