expand
/ɪkˈspænd/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.35 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To change (something) from a smaller form or size to a larger one; to spread out or lay open.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "You can expand this compact umbrella to cover a large table."
- "A flower expands its leaves."
- "Then with expanded wings he steers his flight."
- "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."
- "When an ultrasonic beam is fired at the microcannons, the emulsion evaporates, expanding rapidly into gas. This creates enough force to push the nanobullets out at velocities reaching several metres per second."
- "Use the binomial theorem to expand #123;(x#43;1)#125;⁴."
Etymology
Recorded in Middle English since 1422 (as expanden, expaunden), from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Latin expandō (“to spread out”), itself from ex- (“out, outwards”) + pandō (“to spread”). Doublet of spawn.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
expands (present, singular)
expanding (participle, present)
expanded (participle, past)
expanded (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
expanded (first person, past)
expandest (archaic, present)
expanded (past, second person)
expandedst (archaic, past)
expandeth (archaic, present)
expanded (past, singular)