Verb
expand (third-person singular simple present expands, present participle expanding, simple past and past participle expanded)
- (transitive) To change (something) from a smaller form or size to a larger one; to spread out or lay open.
You can expand this compact umbrella to cover a large table.
- (transitive) To increase the extent, number, volume or scope of (something).
A flower expands its leaves.
1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:Then with expanded wings he steers his flight.
1961 October, “The winter timetables of British Railways: Scottish Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 594:This has evidently been encouraging, for the current winter timetable - not even with the benefit of summer holiday traffic - shows that the two trains each way have been expanded to four.
- (transitive) To express (something) at length and/or in detail.
- (transitive, algebra) To rewrite (an expression) as a longer, yet equivalent sum of terms.
Use the binomial theorem to expand .
- (intransitive, algebra, of an expression) To become, by rewriting, a longer, yet equivalent sum of terms.
The expression expands to .
- (transitive, arithmetic) To multiply both the numerator and the denominator of a fraction by the same (non-zero) number (which yields a fraction of equal value).
- Expanding by gives .
- (intransitive) To change or grow from smaller to larger in form, number, or size.
Many materials expand when heated.
This compact umbrella expands to cover a large table.
- (intransitive) To increase in extent, number, volume or scope.
- (intransitive) To speak or write at length or in detail.
He expanded on his plans for the business.
1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up […] ”
- (intransitive) To feel generous or optimistic.
- (transitive, computing) In a hierarchical list (such as a directory tree or table of contents), to show the subentries of (an entry).
- Antonym: collapse
Conjugation
More information infinitive, present tense ...
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Synonyms
- (to change from a smaller form/size to a larger one): open out, spread, spread out, unfold
- (to increase the extent, number, volume or scope of): enlarge
- (to express at length or in detail): elaborate (on), expand on
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of “to change from a smaller form/size to a larger one”): contract
- (antonym(s) of “to increase the extent, number, volume or scope of”): contract, limit
- (to express at length or in detail): limit
- (antonym(s) of “algebra: to rewrite as an equivalent sum of terms”): factor
Translations
(transitive) to increase the extent, number, volume or scope of
(transitive) to express at length or in detail
- Arabic: فَصَّلَ (ar) (faṣṣala)
- Bulgarian: излагам подробно (izlagam podrobno)
- Dutch: elaboreren, uitwerken (nl)
- Hebrew: פירט (he) (perét)
- Hungarian: kifejt (hu), bővebben elmond
- Italian: dettagliare (it), dilungare (it)
- Japanese: 広げる (ja) (hirogeru), 拡大する (ja) (kakudai suru), 展開する (ja) (tenkai suru), 敷衍する (ja) (fuen suru)
- Korean: 펴다 (ko) (pyeoda)
- Norwegian: utdype, greie ut (om)
- Russian: излага́ть де́ло в подро́бностях impf (izlagátʹ délo v podróbnostjax), раскрыва́ть суть де́ла impf (raskryvátʹ sutʹ déla)
- Spanish: expandir (es), profundizar (es), explayar (es)
- Swedish: utveckla (sv)
- Tagalog: palawakin
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(transitive, algebra) to rewrite as an equivalent sum of terms
(intransitive, algebra) to become an equivalent sum of terms
(transitive, arithmetic) to multiply the numerator and denominator of a fraction by the same number
(intransitive) to increase in extent, number, volume or scope
- Arabic: تَوَسَّعَ (tawassaʕa)
- Dutch: uitdijen (nl), zich uitbreiden, toenemen (nl)
- Finnish: laajentaa (fi)
- Hungarian: bővül (hu), kibővül (hu), tágul (hu), kitágul (hu), szélesedik (hu), kiszélesedik (hu), kiterjed (hu), dagad (hu), nagyobbodik (hu), megnagyobbodik (hu), terjeszkedik (hu), kinyílik (hu), széttárul (hu), kibomlik (hu), felduzzad (hu)
- Italian: espandersi (it)
- Korean: 펴이다 (pyeoida), 피다 (ko) (pida)
- Malayalam: വികസിക്കുക (ml) (vikasikkuka)
- Norwegian: vokse (no), ekspandere
- Ottoman Turkish: ایریلشمك (irileşmek), بالابانلانمق (balabanlanmak) (in size); آرتمق (artmak) (in amount or number)
- Russian: увели́чиваться (ru) impf (uvelíčivatʹsja)
- Swedish: expanderas (sv), vidgas (sv), utvidgas (sv)
- Tagalog: lumaki
- Ukrainian: збі́льшуватися (zbílʹšuvatysja)
- Yiddish: אויסברייטערן זיך (oysbreytern zikh)
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(intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail
(intransitive) to feel generous or optimistic
Translations to be checked