Expanded
/ɪkˈspændɪd/
verbadjectiveB2past tense, past participle
Definition
Expanded is the past form of the verb "expand," meaning to make something bigger or to grow wider. It can also describe something that has grown in size, number, or detail. For example, a company can expand by opening new stores, or a story can expand by adding more information.
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See It in Action
To make something larger in size or area
- •The company expanded its office to include more rooms.
- •The universe has expanded since the Big Bang.
- •We expanded the garden by planting more flowers.
To increase in amount or detail
- •She expanded her explanation to make it clearer.
- •The book was expanded with new chapters in the second edition.
- •The project expanded to include more countries.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "expanded" like "bigger" but used for things that grow or stretch out, not just simple size
- ✓Picture a balloon getting bigger as you blow air into it until it is fully expanded
- ✓It's the feeling when your room feels larger after you move the furniture to make more space
- ✓Sounds like "ex-PAND-ed" → imagine a band (music group) getting bigger by adding more players
- ✓Think of a map that starts small but expands to show more countries and details
- ✓NOT like "grow" (which can mean natural increase), "expand" means actively making something bigger or wider
- ✓NOT like "stretch" (which often means pulling something thin), "expand" means increasing overall size or amount
- ✓NOT like "increase" (which is general), "expand" usually means spreading out or covering more area or subjects
Try Other Words
- •Enlarged: made bigger in size (Use when focusing only on physical size increase)
- •Extended: made longer or stretched out (Use when something is made longer in time or space)
- •Increased: made more in number or amount (Use when focusing on quantity rather than size or area)
- •Broadened: made wider in range or scope (Use when talking about ideas, knowledge, or experience becoming wider)
Unboxing
- •Prefix "ex-" means "out" or "beyond"
- •Root "pand" comes from Latin "pandere" meaning "to spread out"
- •Suffix "-ed" shows past tense or completed action
- •From Latin origin, first used in English in the 1600s to mean spreading out or enlarging
- •Today, used for physical size, amount, or abstract things like ideas or projects growing bigger
Reflect & Connect
•In what ways can something "expand" without changing its physical size?
•How does the idea of expansion apply to your personal growth or learning?
Fill in the blanks
1.The company expanded ___ its services to new countries last year.
2.When the balloon expanded, the air inside ___ to fill the space.
3.Unlike "grow," expanding often means making something ___ or wider.
4.She expanded her answer ___ to help everyone understand better.
5.The city expanded rapidly, ___ new neighborhoods and roads.
6.When a project is expanded, it usually includes more ___ or details.
7.The universe has been expanding ___ the Big Bang event.