ex ‧ tent S2 W1 /ɪkˈstent/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: extente , from Latin extendere ; ⇨ ↑ extend ]
1 . to ... extent used to say how true something is or how great an effect or change is
to a certain extent/to some extent/to an extent (=partly)
We all to some extent remember the good times and forget the bad.
I do agree with him to an extent.
to a great/large extent
Its success will depend to a large extent on local attitudes.
to a lesser/greater extent (=less or more)
It will affect farmers in Spain and to a lesser extent in France.
They examined the extent to which (=how much) age affected language-learning ability.
To what extent (=how much) did she influence his decision?
to such an extent that/to the extent that (=so much that)
Violence increased to the extent that residents were afraid to leave their homes.
2 . [uncountable] how large, important, or serious something is, especially something such as a problem or injury
extent of
Considering the extent of his injuries, he’s lucky to be alive.
It’s too early to assess the full extent of the damage.
3 . [uncountable] the length or size of something:
They opened out the nets to their full extent.
in extent
The region is over 10,000 square kilometres in extent.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ phrases
▪ to some extent/to a certain extent (=partly)
What you say is true to some extent, but it’s not the whole picture.
▪ to a large/great extent (=a large amount)
The materials we use will depend to a large extent on what is available.
▪ to a small extent (=a small amount)
The plan succeeded to a small extent.
▪ to a greater extent (=more)
Children suffer the effects of poor diet to a greater extent than adults.
▪ to a lesser extent ( also to less extent ) (=less)
The same is true for women, though to a lesser extent.
▪ to a considerable/significant extent (=a considerable or significant amount)
The affair affected his popularity to a considerable extent.
▪ to a limited extent (=not a very large amount)
In the USA, and to a limited extent in Britain, the housing market is in recession.
▪ to such an extent that/to the extent that (=so much that)
He annoyed her to such an extent that she had to leave the room.
▪ to the same extent (=to the same amount)
The roads were congested but not to the same extent as in London.
▪ to what extent? (=how much?)
To what extent does cutting down trees contribute to climate change?
▪ the extent to which (=how much)
The report focused on the use of speed cameras, particularly the extent to which they reduced accidents.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ the full extent
He refused to reveal the full extent of his debts.
▪ the actual/true extent
Rescue workers still do not know the true extent of the disaster.
■ verbs
▪ know/realize the extent of something
We do not yet know the extent of the damage.
▪ understand the extent of something
Other people didn’t seem to understand the extent of his disability.
▪ discover/find out the extent of something
We were shocked when we discovered the extent of the fraud.
▪ assess/establish/determine the extent of something
We are still trying to assess the extent of the problem.
▪ show/reveal the extent of something
These pictures show the extent of the devastation caused by the earthquake.
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A report published by the government has revealed the extent of air pollution in the area.
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THESAURUS
▪ size noun [uncountable and countable] how big someone or something is:
What size is that shirt?
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The price will depend on the size and quality of the carpet.
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Your desk is exactly the same size as mine.
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Fire has destroyed an area of forest the size of Luxembourg.
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The seeds are very small, about half the size of a grain of salt.
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There were several pieces of wood of different sizes.
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Cover the dough and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size.
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The black spots on her skin seemed to be slowly increasing in size.
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The American states vary enormously in size, from very large to very small.
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In a class this size, there will always be a few problems.
▪ dimensions noun [plural] the length, width, and height of an object, room, building etc:
What are the dimensions of the table?
▪ measurements noun [plural] the length, width, or height of something, or of someone’s body:
I need to check the measurements of the window.
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your waist measurement is 31 inches
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The nurse took my measurements.
▪ proportions noun [plural] the relative sizes of the different parts of an object, room, building etc:
The proportions don’t look right to me.
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You can sit in the Plaza and admire the proportions of the cathedral.
▪ area noun [uncountable and countable] the amount of space that a flat surface such as a floor or field covers:
To measure the area of a room, you need to multiply the length by the width.
▪ extent noun [uncountable] the size of a large area:
The extent of the ranch is enormous.
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The island measured about 1,600 kilometres in extent.
▪ bulk noun [uncountable] the very large size of something:
The statue’s massive bulk made it difficult to move.
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his enormous bulk
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The view was dominated by the huge bulk of the power station.
▪ capacity noun [singular] the amount that a container will hold:
The capacity of the tank is around 500 gallons.
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The computer’s memory has a capacity of over 200 megabytes.
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All the storage units were filled to capacity.
▪ volume noun [singular] the amount of space that a substance fills, or that an object contains:
The average domestic swimming pool has a volume of 45,000 litres.
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This instrument measures the volume of air in your lungs.
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Help me figure out the volume of this fish tank.
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The shifting of continents has an impact on the volume of water the oceans can contain.