What is expand? Pronunciation and usage in English

expand means . Learn how to pronounce and use expand through vivid examples and easy-to-understand exercises.

Definition & pronunciation of expand

expandverb

/ɪkˈspand//ɛkˈspand/
Definition & pronunciation of expand

Okay, let's break down how to pronounce "expand" in English. Here's a breakdown with different approaches:

1. The Most Common Pronunciation (American English):

  • Ex-pand (IPA: /ɪkˈspænd/)
    • Ex-: Pronounced like "ick" – a quick, sharp sound. Think of saying "ickle" very quickly.
    • -pand: Pronounced like "pahnd," almost like "paand." It’s a short, almost clipped sound. It's not like "pen" or "pan."

2. British English Pronunciation:

  • Ex-pand (IPA: /ɛkˈspænd/)
    • Ex-: Pronounced like "ek" - a bit softer than the American "ick."
    • -pand: Similar to American English, but often slightly less clipped. “pahnd” is still the key.

Key Tips & Things to Remember:

  • Stress: The primary stress is on the first syllable ("ex").
  • Quickness: The "ick" sound in the first syllable is very quick.
  • Don’t over-emphasize the “and”: The "and" sound is relatively short and blends into the "pand."

Resources for Hearing the Pronunciation:

  • Google Translate: Go to Google Translate, type "expand," and click the speaker icon. (This will give you the American English pronunciation.)
  • Forvo: https://forvo.com/word/expand/ - This website lets you hear native speakers pronounce the word in different accents.

To help me give you even more targeted advice, could you tell me:

  • What kind of English are you trying to learn? (American, British, Australian, etc.)

Usage and examples with the word expand in English

Let's break down how to use the word "expand" effectively in English. It's a versatile word with several related meanings. Here's a breakdown, categorized with examples:

1. To Become Larger in Size or Scope:

  • Physical Expansion: This is the most straightforward meaning – to grow bigger.

    • “The company plans to expand its factory to meet the growing demand.”
    • “The roots of the tree are expanding into the neighboring garden.”
    • “After the expansion, the hotel will have 200 rooms.”

  • Figurative Expansion (Growth): This refers to increasing in size or scope in a non-physical way.

    • “The business is expanding rapidly, opening new branches across the country.”
    • “We need to expand our marketing efforts to reach a wider audience.”
    • “The university is expanding its research programs into new fields.”
    • “The artist’s career has expanded greatly with each new exhibition.”

2. To Extend or Make Something Larger:

  • Adding to something: This means to add to or increase something that already exists.

    • “The artist expanded the original drawing with additional details.”
    • “The historian expanded on the story in his new book.” (meaning, he added more information)
    • "The software company is expanding the functionality of the app."

  • Making something more open or accessible:

    • "The government is expanding access to healthcare for low-income families."
    • "The website has expanded to include multilingual support."

3. To Develop or Elaborate:

  • Expanding on an idea: To give more details or explanation to something.

    • “He expanded on his argument, providing several supporting examples.”
    • "The journalist expanded on the events that led to the conflict."

  • Expanding one's knowledge: To learn more about a topic.

    • “I’m trying to expand my knowledge of Spanish.”

Key Phrases and Usage Notes:

  • Expand into: (Often used in business) – To enter a new market or area. “They plan to expand into the Asian market.”
  • Expand on: – To give more details about something. “Can you expand on that point?”
  • Expand your mind: – To learn new things and broaden your perspective.
  • Expand the boundaries of...: – To push the limits of something. “Scientists are expanding the boundaries of what’s known about the universe.”

Synonyms:

  • Grow
  • Increase
  • Develop
  • Broaden
  • Extend
  • Enlargement

To help me give you even more tailored advice, could you tell me:

  • What kind of context are you using "expand" in? (e.g., business, describing a physical object, talking about ideas, etc.)
  • Can you give me an example sentence you've written that uses "expand"?

Synonyms for the word expand

Practice with vocabulary expand

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

  1. To remain competitive, the tech startup plans to _______ its product line to include software solutions for small businesses.
  2. A common goal for researchers is to _______ the existing body of knowledge in their field through rigorous study.
  3. Before starting the complex construction project, the team decided to _______ the scope of their initial risk assessment to cover all potential hazards.
  4. Due to unforeseen delays, the project manager had to _______ the deadline for the final report by two weeks.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer

  1. Which of the following terms best describes a company's strategy to significantly increase its market share and reach new customer demographics? a) contract b) expand c) diminish d) shrink e) grow

  2. To make the argument more comprehensive and detailed, the speaker needed to ______ on their initial points during the presentation. a) elaborate b) compress c) summarize d) abbreviate e) expand

  3. The university aims to ______ its research capabilities by investing in cutting-edge laboratory equipment and recruiting top scientists. a) limit b) restrict c) expand d) contain e) constrain

  4. If you want to make the image appear larger on the screen without losing its aspect ratio, you should ______ it. a) condense b) reduce c) enlarge d) compress e) minimize

  5. The architect proposed several modifications to ______ the living space in the compact apartment. a) confine b) restrict c) maximize d) constrain e) optimize

Exercise 3: Rewrite the sentences

  1. The startup plans to significantly increase its operations into new international markets next year.
  2. There was a remarkable growth in the university's online course offerings over the last decade.
  3. The committee decided to make the scope of the new project broader to include more stakeholders.

Answer:

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

  1. To remain competitive, the tech startup plans to expand its product line to include software solutions for small businesses.
  2. A common goal for researchers is to expand the existing body of knowledge in their field through rigorous study.
  3. Before starting the complex construction project, the team decided to widen the scope of their initial risk assessment to cover all potential hazards.
  4. Due to unforeseen delays, the project manager had to extend the deadline for the final report by two weeks.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer

  1. b) expand, e) grow
  2. a) elaborate, e) expand
  3. c) expand
  4. c) enlarge
  5. c) maximize, e) optimize

Exercise 3: Rewrite the sentences

  1. The startup plans to expand its operations into new international markets next year.
  2. There was a remarkable expansion in the university's online course offerings over the last decade.
  3. The committee decided to widen the scope of the new project to include more stakeholders.

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