1. To increase the size, volume, quantity, or scope of; enlarge: expanded her store by adding a second room. See Synonyms at increase. 2. To express at length or in detail; enlarge on: expanded his remarks afterward. 3. To open (something) up or out; spread out: The bird expanded its wings and flew off. 4.
Definition of expand verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. [intransitive, transitive] to become greater in size, number or importance; to make something greater in size, number or importance. Metals expand when they are heated. Student numbers are expanding rapidly. A child's vocabulary expands through reading.
If something expands or is expanded, it becomes larger. Engineers noticed that the pipes were not expanding as expected. We have to expand the size of the image.
to increase in extent, size, scope, or volume: [no object] The balloon expanded until it burst. [~ + object] The heat expanded the metal. spread (out): [no object] The snake expanded to its full length. [~ + object] A bird expands its wings.
This can apply to a wide variety of contexts, such as a business expanding its operations, a material expanding due to heat, or a discussion topic being expanded to cover more areas.
