ENGLISH
REFERENCE

extent

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ɪkˈstɛnt// UK //ɛkstˈɛnt// ex·tent Archaic General-service

n. the size, amount, or degree of something. You use it to describe how far something goes or how much it covers.

n. the area, degree, or amount to which something happens or exists. Often used in prepositional phrases to quantify the scope of an action or condition.


SIMPLE

We do not yet know the full extent of the damage.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager was surprised by the extent of the repairs needed to fix the office air conditioning.

COMPLEX

While the report acknowledges the problem, it fails to grasp the true extent of the environmental degradation caused by decades of unregulated industrial runoff.

Origin

From Middle English extente, from Anglo-Norman extente and Old French estente (“valuation of land, stretch of land”), from estendre, extendre (“extend”) (or from Latin extentus), from Latin extendere (See extend.)

Usage

Commonly used in the fixed phrases 'to a certain extent' or 'to the extent that'.

Pitfall

to the extend thatto the extent thatLearners often confuse the noun 'extent' with the verb 'extend'.

© 2026 English Reference