ex ‧ pand S3 W3 AC /ɪkˈspænd/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ expand ; noun : ↑ expansion ; adjective : ↑ expandable ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: expandere , from pandere 'to spread' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to become larger in size, number, or amount, or to make something become larger ⇨ expansion OPP contract :
Water expands as it freezes.
Sydney’s population expanded rapidly in the 1960s.
exercises that expand the chest muscles
his expanding waistline
2 . [intransitive and transitive] if a company, business etc expands, or if someone expands it, they open new shops, factories etc ⇨ expansion :
The computer industry has expanded greatly over the last decade.
The hotel wants to expand its business by adding a swimming pool.
the rapidly expanding field of information technology
expand into
We have plans to expand into the U.S. market.
3 . [intransitive] literary to become more confident and start to talk more:
After a few whiskies he started to expand a little.
expand on/upon something phrasal verb
to add more details or information to something that you have already said:
Payne later expanded on his initial statement.