expanding

verb

present participle of expand
1
as in developing
to express more fully and in greater detail an article on the First Ladies that the author later expanded into a book

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in increasing
to make greater in size, amount, or number we had to expand the list of wedding guests several times in order to accommodate all the relatives Mother wouldn't dream of excluding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in extending
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area a spare leaf for those times when we have to expand the dining table to accommodate extra guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rising
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number water expands when it becomes frozen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expanding Axel Springer is expanding in the Middle East, joining a growing number of Western publishers with an editorial presence in the region — and testing a key pillar of its editorial beliefs. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Mamdani’s signature 2-K program is scheduled to launch this fall with 2,000 students in select school districts, with the goal of expanding citywide over four years. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has made expanding these projects even more urgent. — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 The Howard Stern section of the SiriusXM app is also expanding to include Howard Stern Decades for access to Stern’s content from the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and 10’s. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 Under the terms of the merger agreement, two SAFE directors would serve on BECU’s board, expanding it to 11 members from nine. — Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026 The stock has popped 48% year to date to outperform other software names due to its strategic investments into expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities and strong underlying fundamentals. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 Satellite imagery has already spied an area of rising seas expanding north from South and Central America to California’s Baja Peninsula, with a northward expansion expected from there. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 The field is expanding to include thieves from other sectors, lured by the comparatively low-risk, high-reward nature of art thefts. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expanding
  1. developing
  2. increasing
  3. extending
  4. rising
  5. accelerating
  6. opening
  7. swelling
  8. augmenting
Verb
  • SoCal likely in the clear A red blob on the hurricane center's forecast map well south of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula represents a developing tropical system, one that some models show could eventually impact California.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Even the Barbie doll, while often derided for promoting an unhealthy body image for developing children, offered girls a glimpse of a different future than as a wife and mother, Kimmel argues.
    — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of developing
Verb
  • The team stopped at 800 N because increasing the load further would require additional protective equipment, with a separate destructive limit test planned.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Rattlesnake sightings are increasing across Texas, with warnings issued at schools and athletic fields.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of increasing
Verb
  • The analysts actually like the agentic AI server tailwinds extending into 2028 and are positive on foundry/advanced packaging.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Uber ended operations in Nigeria and Uganda this week, extending a year-long retreat from Africa.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of extending
Verb
  • The bank said capacity constraints and rising competition are weighing on ASML, but that the stock remains a top pick.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Alexandria Eala, a rising global superstar, draws a new Filipino fanbase.
    — Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of rising
Verb
  • Insulet’s international growth has been accelerating, with revenue rising between 30% and 32%, and full-year earnings per share growth anticipated to jump more than 30% from a year earlier.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Artificial intelligence is accelerating the trend by helping organizations analyze data faster and act on it more effectively.
    — Dirk Naylor, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of accelerating
Verb
  • Where is Southwest Airlines opening its first airport lounges?
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • After its Venice premiere, the film will screen at the New York Film Festival before opening in theaters and screening on arthouse film platform Mubi later this year.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of opening
Verb
  • Corbet issued a statement defending the AI use cases amid swelling online revolt.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Funding shortfalls and political fights over who should pay for childcare have stalled federal action, leaving states to deploy one-off surpluses while families’ need and waitlists keep swelling.
    — Moriah Balingit, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of swelling
Verb
  • Dana Williams, American High School The highest-performing students are augmenting their brainpower with AI.
    — Dana Williams, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • North Korea has also become an industrious manufacturer of war drones, augmenting Moscow’s capacity to produce the unmanned aerial vehicles that have defined the conflict.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of augmenting

Browse Nearby Words

expanded
expanding
expands
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expanding. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All