EXPANDING Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

expanding

verb

present participle of expand

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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

as in rising

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number water expands when it becomes frozen

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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 Note the yellow band—interest on the national debt—which is expanding fast. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 The agreement comes as electricity demand rises across the United States, driven partly by expanding data centers, manufacturing and electrification. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026 The agency downgraded Oracle in July, noting that the company's rapidly expanding infrastructure business is increasing its overall credit risk. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026 To his point, expanding size ranges does involve investment in pattern-making, grading, sampling, production, and inventory planning. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026 That diversification has so far included expanding into art and exhibition production through Arter, which Mazarine acquired two years ago, and working with clients outside the traditional luxury sector. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 That law included provisions dramatically expanding the scope of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. — Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026 The town was almost unrecognizable—filled with new apartment blocks, expanding in every direction. — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 There’s something about expanding your world as an artist that is really liberating. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for expanding

Verb

Founder Marty Odlin told me the company had not finished developing sensors and methods to reliably measure key properties such as pH and dissolved inorganic carbon.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
America’s national security depends on the startups developing the technologies of the future.

— Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of developing

Verb

Dimitris Ampatzidis, maritime risk and compliance manager at Kpler, said the attacks underscored Iran's continuing ability to threaten commercial vessels, with the risks extending beyond oil and gas transportation.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
For most of my career, accelerating a road map usually meant adding people, extending timelines or reducing scope.

— Luis Aburto, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of extending

Verb

Noah Seelam | Afp | Getty Images Fund outflows and a rising energy bill are expected to keep putting pressure on India's rupee, even as the central bank works to slow depreciation.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
John Fogerty, rising singer-songwriter Emma Ogier, and others are slated to open on select dates.

— Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of rising

Verb

Heading across the middle as Mahomes settled into the pocket, Worthy initially seemed to settle into the middle of the field before accelerating again toward the sideline.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Strong revenue growth, and accelerating demand for our clothes globally, tells us there is a genuine appetite for our British modern luxury proposition.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

Velly Pizza is also opening a second location in the Natomas area.

— Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Among the recommendations is a change that would change the village’s single-family residential districts to neighborhood residential districts, potentially opening them up to multi-unit housing.

— Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of opening

Verb

Other possible signs include swelling of part or all of the breast, breast or nipple pain and nipple discharge other than breast milk.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Since the late nineteenth century, raw white-lead was known to pose a substantial health risk to those exposed to it, prompting symptoms such as swelling of the brain, epileptic convulsions, paralysis, severe colic, and death.

— Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of swelling

Verb

After principal photography wrapped, many months would be spent in post-production augmenting the voices to create the right tone and weave them into the overall soundscape.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
For the past few years, though, the merchandising team has been augmenting those brands with more products that match today’s youth consumer.

— Jennie Bell, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of augmenting

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expanded

expanding

expands

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Style

“Expanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expanding. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of expanding

verb

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