"expands" in the verb sense
1. expand, spread out
extend in one or more directions
"The dough expands"
2. expand
become larger in size or volume or quantity
"his business expanded rapidly"
3. expand
make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity
"expand the house by adding another wing"
4. boom, thrive, flourish, expand
grow vigorously
"The deer population in this town is thriving"
"business is booming"
5. inflate, blow up, expand, amplify
exaggerate or make bigger
"The charges were inflated"
6. elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate
add details, as to an account or idea clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing
"She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation"
7. extend, expand
expand the influence of
"The King extended his rule to the Eastern part of the continent"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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