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expansion

UK/ɪkˈspænʃən/US/ɪkˈspænʃən/
nounB2+Common in everyday speech and writing · #6,360 of 15,258mostly written

Other forms: expansions

An expansion is a growing larger in size or in reach. Business expansion, thermal expansion, an expansion plan.

In physics, thermal expansion is why bridges have gaps at the joints and why rails buckle in a heatwave. In business it means opening in new places or markets, and it is the moment when most well-run companies get into trouble.

Definitions of expansion

  1. 1nounexpansionA growing larger in size or in reach.B2+

    “The airport's expansion will add a new runway and a second terminal.”

expansion is a growth.

Where it comes from

Latin expansio comes from expandere, to spread out — ex, out, plus pandere, to spread.

  1. Latin

    expānsiō

  2. French

    expansion

  3. English, today

    expansion

French expansion, from Latin expānsiō. by surface analysis, expand + -sion.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

expansion in the wild

  • Seven expansion packs were released between 2000 and 2003.

    The Sims (video game)

  • The expansion is believed to have taken place between about 6,000 and 1,500 years ago.

    Bantu expansion

  • The expansion reached South Africa, probably as early as 300 AD.

    Bantu expansion

  • One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion draft.

    Expansion draft

  • The expansion team(s) then are allowed to select players not on the protected lists in a manner somewhat similar to an entry draft.

    Expansion draft

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

From Project Gutenberg, public domain. These sentences are from real books, shown to illustrate the word at work.

Related words

  • expand