expansion
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of becoming bigger or covering more area.
the action of becoming larger or more extensive in physical size or conceptual scope.
Simple“The rapid expansion of the city has led to more traffic on the roads.”
In context“The rapid expansion of urban areas often outpaces the development of necessary infrastructure, leading to significant logistical challenges for local governments.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
when a company or an economy grows and becomes more successful.
a period of economic growth or the process of a business increasing its market presence and operations.
Simple“The company is planning an expansion into the European market next year.”
In context“Economists predicted a period of sustained expansion following the implementation of the new trade agreement and the reduction of interest rates.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
the increase in the volume of a substance, often caused by heat.
the increase in volume of a substance, typically resulting from a change in temperature or pressure.
Simple“The expansion of the metal in the heat caused the door to get stuck.”
In context“Engineers must account for the thermal expansion of steel beams when designing bridges to prevent structural failure during extreme summer temperatures.”
Antonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
a new part added to something, like a game or a book, to make it longer or more complete.
the addition of further detail to a narrative or the release of supplementary content for an existing software product or game.
Simple“I bought the new expansion for my favourite board game yesterday.”
In context“The studio released a digital expansion that introduced three new playable regions and a revamped combat system to the original title.”
Synonyms - 05 C1 Advanced
the full version of a word that has been shortened.
the full, unabbreviated form of a word or phrase represented by an acronym or initialism.
Simple“The expansion of 'NASA' is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.”
In context“The author provided the full expansion of every technical acronym in the appendix to ensure the text remained accessible to non-specialist readers.”
Synonymsfull formAntonyms
Usage expansion of the universe · expansion occur · rapid expansion
“A four-phase expansion completed in late 2024 increased the airport’s annual capacity to 106 million passengers.”
“A reference to it being 30bn light years away – the position it is today taking into account the expansion of the universe – has been removed.”
Borrowed from French expansion, from Latin expānsiō. By surface analysis, expand + -sion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.