Meaning & use
vast expanse of water
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
A very large, wide area covered by water, such as an ocean, sea, or big lake.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: a vast expanse of water, or vast expanses of water in the plural.
Patterns
- a vast expanse of water
- vast expanses of water
- stretch across a vast expanse of water
From the plane window we could see a vast expanse of water stretching to the horizon.
The desert ends suddenly at a vast expanse of water that looks like an inland sea.
Sailors once feared that a vast expanse of water lay beyond the known coast.
phrasefixed phraseliterary
A very large area of water seen as an empty, open space, often suggesting distance or loneliness.
Grammar: Often used in descriptive or literary writing to create a mood rather than to give exact information.
Patterns
- nothing but a vast expanse of water
- a vast expanse of water before someone
There was nothing but a vast expanse of water between the boat and the shore.
She stood on the cliff and looked out at the vast expanse of water below.
Word forms
| plural | vast expanses of water |
|---|
Common combinations
- a vast expanse of water
- A vast expanse of water separated the two islands.
- stretch across a vast expanse of water
- The new bridge stretches across a vast expanse of water.
- look out over a vast expanse of water
- We looked out over a vast expanse of water from the hotel balcony.
- a vast expanse of open water
- The rescue team searched a vast expanse of open water.
- nothing but a vast expanse of water
- After the storm, there was nothing but a vast expanse of water where the fields had been.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ocean
- Ocean is a specific named body of salt water, while this phrase describes any very large area of water without saying what kind.
- sea
- Sea usually refers to a particular salt-water area near land, but a vast expanse of water can also mean a lake or flooded land.
- stretch of water
- Stretch of water is more neutral and less dramatic; add vast when you want to stress great size.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vast expanse of water or expansion?
vast expanse of water vs expansion
Expansion means growth in size or amount, while expanse means a wide open area. A vast expanse of water is a place, not a process.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase names a large area of water, so it fits the sentence about the sea between a ship and the coast. The other options treat it as an amount of growth, a feeling, or a piece of writing, which its meaning does not allow.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vast expanse of water”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.