EXPANDING Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

expanding

verb

present participle of expand

as in developing

to express more fully and in greater detail an article on the First Ladies that the author later expanded into a book

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in increasing

to make greater in size, amount, or number we had to expand the list of wedding guests several times in order to accommodate all the relatives Mother wouldn't dream of excluding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in extending

to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area a spare leaf for those times when we have to expand the dining table to accommodate extra guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in rising

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number water expands when it becomes frozen

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of expanding Axel Springer is expanding in the Middle East, joining a growing number of Western publishers with an editorial presence in the region — and testing a key pillar of its editorial beliefs. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Mamdani’s signature 2-K program is scheduled to launch this fall with 2,000 students in select school districts, with the goal of expanding citywide over four years. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has made expanding these projects even more urgent. — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 The Howard Stern section of the SiriusXM app is also expanding to include Howard Stern Decades for access to Stern’s content from the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and 10’s. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 Under the terms of the merger agreement, two SAFE directors would serve on BECU’s board, expanding it to 11 members from nine. — Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026 The stock has popped 48% year to date to outperform other software names due to its strategic investments into expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities and strong underlying fundamentals. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 Satellite imagery has already spied an area of rising seas expanding north from South and Central America to California’s Baja Peninsula, with a northward expansion expected from there. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 The field is expanding to include thieves from other sectors, lured by the comparatively low-risk, high-reward nature of art thefts. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for expanding

Verb

SoCal likely in the clear A red blob on the hurricane center's forecast map well south of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula represents a developing tropical system, one that some models show could eventually impact California.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Even the Barbie doll, while often derided for promoting an unhealthy body image for developing children, offered girls a glimpse of a different future than as a wife and mother, Kimmel argues.

— Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of developing

Verb

Qantas said demand for international travel remained strong, with both Qantas and its low-cost carrier Jetstar increasing capacity and unit revenue, although higher fuel costs weighed on international earnings.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
His foundation is aiming to spend $200 billion by 2045 with an increasing focus on AI.

— Reuters, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

That would mean accelerating from Indonesia's roughly 5% decade-long growth average while keeping the deficit below its 3% statutory ceiling.

— Celestine Iyer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
For Kraft Heinz, that’s accelerating a shift already underway in Europe toward shorter ingredient lists, smaller portions, and more high-protein products.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of accelerating

Verb

That mix of showers and storms continue for the rest of the week, ramping up over the weekend, with wet weather chances swelling to 60% Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
The condition may have caused pain and produced a deformation or swelling on her chest.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of swelling

Verb

Dana Williams, American High School The highest-performing students are augmenting their brainpower with AI.

— Dana Williams, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
North Korea has also become an industrious manufacturer of war drones, augmenting Moscow’s capacity to produce the unmanned aerial vehicles that have defined the conflict.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of augmenting

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expanded

expanding

expands

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“Expanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expanding. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of expanding

verb

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