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
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Recent Examples of expands
The deal also expands surveillance capabilities through drones, helicopters and electronic monitoring to better prevent crossing attempts.
—
Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
These rubbery, firm nodules are called keloids, which are poorly understood skin growths that result from wound healing that goes awry and expands beyond the borders of the original wound.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands the list of people who must meet work requirements to receive SNAP benefits.
—Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Supporters, largely Republicans, say the policy accelerates school improvement and expands options for families — especially those in districts with subpar schools.
—Garrett Shanley, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Anthropic said the agreement expands on a longstanding partnership between the two companies.
—Ashley Capoot,kate Rooney, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
There are no workstations, and the minibar expands on the usual snack-and-spirits lineup with tools and ingredients that invite guests to play bartender.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Whether this effort expands into broader limits on plastic production remains an open question.
—Baltimore Sun, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
Choose the path that expands your world.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
Arkansas Online, 24 Apr. 2026
These rubbery, firm nodules are called keloids, which are poorly understood skin growths that result from wound healing that goes awry and expands beyond the borders of the original wound.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands the list of people who must meet work requirements to receive SNAP benefits.
—Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Supporters, largely Republicans, say the policy accelerates school improvement and expands options for families — especially those in districts with subpar schools.
—Garrett Shanley, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
Anthropic said the agreement expands on a longstanding partnership between the two companies.
—Ashley Capoot,kate Rooney, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
There are no workstations, and the minibar expands on the usual snack-and-spirits lineup with tools and ingredients that invite guests to play bartender.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Whether this effort expands into broader limits on plastic production remains an open question.
—Baltimore Sun, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
Choose the path that expands your world.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expands
Verb
-
From drawing, everything else develops.—
Eana Kim,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
If Ty Simpson develops into a top NFL quarterback who leads the Rams to a Super Bowl title, the club will look back at the 2026 draft as one of the best and shrewdest in its history.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This greatly increases the surface area available for electrochemical reactions and enables faster charging and discharging while maintaining high power density in an extremely small footprint.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Across the spectrum, increases to bonus payouts ranged from 6% to 43%, with a median of 13%, and an average increase of 12%.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Israeli government and military have said forces will remain in a buffer zone that spans the countries' border and extends at least six miles into Lebanese territory, and that residents will not be allowed to return home, until the Hezbollah threat is removed.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The decision also extends to OPEC+, a larger group that consists of other oil producers such as Russia.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rare earth demand rises The ubiquity of rare earth elements means demand keeps rising.—
Anton L. Delgado,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
From the fiery lake of damnation, Lucifer rises as Satan to seduce humanity’s first parents, Adam and Eve, in the flawless Garden of Eden, triggering the Fall of Man and the loss of Paradise itself.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, emerging evidence suggests that early detection and aggressive treatment of psychiatric symptoms may improve long-term outcomes by delaying the onset of clinical neurodegeneration and mitigating the cumulative biological stress that accelerates brain aging.—
Eric J. Nestler,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Collagen loss accelerates, cell turnover slows, and deep wrinkles become more prominent.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
September 23 – October 22 Seeing things differently today opens new possibilities for you.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Libra September 23 – October 22 Seeing things differently today opens new possibilities for you.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And as the brightening world starts to resume familiar form, the glorious chorus swells with the songs of blue tits, goldfinches, chaffinches.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
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What really surprised the rather unflappable ISS and Glass Lewis was a tax reimbursement of $334 million that swells the total payout to $886 million.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
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Any presence on the interior that augments the pass rush would be welcome, no matter the primary position.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expands. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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