Meaning & use
expansion
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The process of becoming larger or of growing in size, number or reach.
Grammar: Uncountable for the general process; countable for a particular project: a major expansion.
Patterns
- the expansion of something
- expansion into something
The company announced an expansion into Asian markets.
The city's rapid expansion strained its roads.
Metal tracks have gaps to allow for expansion in hot weather.
nouncountable
A new part added to something that already exists, such as a building or a game.
Grammar: Takes a plural: two new expansions.
Patterns
- an expansion to something
- an expansion pack
The hospital opened a new expansion last year.
She bought the expansion for her favorite board game.
An expansion to the airport will add six gates.
nouncountable
A fuller or more detailed version of something shorter, such as notes or an abbreviation.
Grammar: Often used with of: the expansion of an acronym.
Patterns
- an expansion of something
The editor asked for an expansion of the second paragraph.
The expansion of NASA is National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Her essay was an expansion of the short outline.
Word forms
| plural | expansions |
|---|
Common combinations
- rapid expansion
- The rapid expansion of the town surprised everyone.
- economic expansion
- Economic expansion created thousands of new jobs.
- plans for expansion
- The bakery has plans for expansion next year.
- thermal expansion
- Thermal expansion makes bridges slightly longer in summer.
- expansion of the universe
- Scientists study the expansion of the universe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- growth
- Growth is more general and natural, while expansion often suggests deliberate enlargement.
- enlargement
- Enlargement stresses making something bigger, often in a physical sense.
- extension
- Extension suggests adding on to what exists, as with a building or a deadline.
Opposites
Word family
- expand verb
- to become or make larger
- expansive adjective
- covering a wide area, or friendly and open
- expansionism noun
- a policy of extending a country's territory
Commonly confused: expansion or expanse?
expansion vs expanse
An expanse is a wide open area, not the process of growing.
Practice
Heat causes the metal rail to undergo ___, so builders leave small gaps.
Choose one answer.
Metal gets larger when heated, which is expansion. Contraction and compression mean shrinking, and extraction means removing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “expansion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.