expansion

The process of becoming larger or covering more space.

• Heat causes the expansion of metal.
• The company plans further expansion overseas.
• Rapid urban expansion has destroyed many farms.

How to use it: expansion of something (The expansion of the town has increased traffic.)

Similar words: growth, enlargement

Opposites: contraction

Common phrases: rapid expansion, expansion of something, business expansion

An extra product that adds new content or features to something you already own.

• This expansion adds new characters.
• You need the original game to use the expansion.
• We bought two expansions for our favorite board game.

Similar words: add-on

Common phrases: an expansion pack, a game expansion, buy an expansion

A new part added to a building or other existing thing.

• The expansion includes six new rooms.
• Our office is in the new expansion.
• They opened the hospital expansion last spring.

Similar words: extension, addition

Common phrases: a hospital expansion, a new expansion, the office expansion

The full words represented by a shortened name or group of letters.

• The expansion of BBC is British Broadcasting Corporation.
• The guide gives the expansion of each abbreviation.
• This acronym has two possible expansions.

How to use it: expansion of something (The expansion of this abbreviation appears in the glossary.)

Similar words: full form

Common phrases: acronym expansion, expansion of something, the full expansion

A number showing how much a material grows longer for each degree its temperature rises.

• The table gives the expansion of steel.
• Engineers compared the expansion of the two alloys.
• We used the expansion coefficient to calculate the final length.

Similar words: coefficient of thermal expansion

Common phrases: thermal expansion, expansion coefficient, linear expansion