People want more money to expand educational institutions.
Source: tatoeba (19107)
Expand
/ɪkˈspænd/
Synonyms for "expand" (360 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (72)
Verb(21 words)
elaborateamplifyenlargeextendaggrandizesamplifiesaugmentsballoonedbillowedblow upboomboomedbroadenbroaden scopebroadenedbroadensbuild a modelbuild factoriesbulkedburgeoned
Show 1 more word
capacitate programs
Noun(26 words)
abundance increaseamplifyingaugmentingballoonsbillowsblowingboomsbranch budbranch of engineeringbranch of logicbranch of physicsbranch of sciencebranchesbranchingbread risebroadeningbuildingbulgebulgesbulk matter
Adjective(2 words)
biological scaleburgeoning
Strong matches (108)
Verb(34 words)
Adjective(6 words)
Noun(32 words)
capacitating programcause increasecomponent upgradecount upcrossoverdecompressingdeveloped civilizationdeveloped culturesdeveloping projectdimension changedisease spreaddistendingdistributingdiversifyingelaborate instructionselaborate materialselaboratingenlargingenrichingexpatiating
Related words (180)
Noun(57 words)
gatefoldgrow unicellularlygrowinggussetinggussetsincrease extentincrease maximum work capacityincreased englishincreasinginflatinglargesleapsmore completemore developedmore network modelmulti-plymushroomingmushroomsoutreachesoutsize
Show 37 more words
outstretchesoutstretchingprivately developedpuffingpumpingreamingredefiningresizerise in revenuerise of civilizationsrise of multicellularityrisesrises of civilizationrudeness risesatellitingscale termscalingscaling conceptservice expansionsextuplesplatssplayssprawlsspreadingspreadsstretching forcesupersizesupersizingswellestswellingswellsthriving nonagricultural ecosystemupscalevolumizingwaxeswidened accesswidening
gathergeneralizeglobalizego intogreatengrowheightenhikehike uphuffincreaseinflatejack upjump uplaborlengthenmagnifymake a generalizationmanifestmaximize
Show 54 more words
mountmultiplymushroomopenopen upoutspreadoutstretchovergrowoverrunparlayparticularizeplusprogressprolongprotractpuffpuff uppumppump uppushput uppyramidraiseramifyrarefyrehearse in extensorelate at largesnowballspell outsplayspraddlespranglesprawlspreadspread like wildfirespread outstretchsubtilizesufflateswellthickenthinthin outtumefyunfolduniversalizeupupsurgevisewaterwater downwaxwidenwork out
Verb(37 words)
grewgrowngrowsincrease abilityincrease capabilityincrease environmental outputincrease outputincreasedincreasesinflateintumescelengthenlengthensliberaliseliberalizeslucubratemanifoldedmaximize productionmushroomedoutspreads
Show 17 more words
Adjective(9 words)
Determiner(3 words)
more supportmore tort claim limitmore waste management system
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: elaborate, amplify, enlarge, extend, abundance increase.
- Sentence evidence is available for expand, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "expand".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "expand"
Keep "expand" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "expand" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "expand", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "expand" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
15 entriesMore specific
10 entriesCollocations
5 entriesexpand capacityexpand curriculumexpand knowledgeexpand programexpand vocabulary
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
3 entriesTranslations
38 translations across 16 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- فَصَّلَ verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Bulgarian
2 entries- излагам подробно verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- разяснявам се verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
Dutch
3 entries- elaboreren verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- uitweiden verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
- uitwerken verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Finnish
4 entries- selventää verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- tarkentaa verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- tarkentaa verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
- täsmentää verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
French
1 entries- élaborer verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
Hebrew
1 entries- פירט verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Hungarian
4 entries- beszédesebbé válik verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
- bővebben elmond verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- kifejt verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- megnyílik verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
Italian
3 entries- dettagliare verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- dilungare verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- dilungarsi verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
Japanese
4 entries- 展開する verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- 広げる verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- 拡大する verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- 敷衍する verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Korean
1 entries- 펴다 verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Norwegian
3 entries- greie ut verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- utdype verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- utdype verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
Russian
2 entries- излага́ть де́ло в подро́бностях verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- раскрыва́ть суть де́ла verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Spanish
3 entries- expandir verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- explayar verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- profundizar verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Swedish
2 entries- utveckla verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
- utveckla sig verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
Tagalog
2 entries- lumawak verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
- palawakin verb ((transitive) to express at length or in detail)
Ukrainian
1 entries- розповіда́ти в дета́лях verb ((intransitive) to speak or write at length or in detail)
Sample sentences
22 total sentences available.
The blossoms expand under the influence of the weather.
Source: tatoeba (23744)
Maybe I ought to expand the memory.
Source: tatoeba (31781)
There is a scheme to expand the company.
Source: tatoeba (49138)
Showing 4 of 22 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "expand"?
Closest matches include elaborate, amplify, enlarge, extend, abundance increase.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "expand"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.