expanse
noun
ex·panse ik-ˈspan(t)s 
1
: firmament
2
: great extent of something spread out
an expanse of calm ocean
Synonyms
- breadth
- distance
- expansion
- extent
- field
- length
- plain
- reach
- sheet
- spread
- stretch
- waste
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The explorer gazed across the vast Arctic expanse. the great explorers who crossed the vast expanses of the seven seas in small ships
Recent Examples on the Web Brad Ryan paused to take in the scene before him: Mountains with perfect peaks, a lush valley and an endless expanse of untouched Alaskan wilderness. 
Sydney Page, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 The backyards, however, were all sunbaked bare dirt tinged with weeds, and many houses, like ours, had a large slope rising above an expanse of flat ground. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2022 The strikes — for which each side blames the other — have stirred fears of a radiation release if combat rages on in this area, an expanse of farm fields along the banks of the Dnieper. Andrew E. Kramer, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2022 Now, the large windows in Shockley’s new bright and airy classroom look out at an expanse of dirt — where their old school used to be. Olivia Krauth, The Courier-Journal, 10 Aug. 2022 The family has set aside the 316 acres at Elk Meadows, an expanse filled with aspen trees and summer wildflowers, in a conservation easement held by Utah Open Lands, a nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting open spaces in Utah. Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Aug. 2022 Aside from the airport, the area is relatively undeveloped, just an expanse of woods and wetlands along Back River. Lea Skene, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2022 Michael Chubb stares out into an expanse of wild grass dotted with sandhill cranes. Natalia Galicza, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2022 But this time, the backdrop is almost as memorable as the $80,000 dress: an expanse of oversize teal-carnation wallpaper. Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 26 May 2022 See More
Sydney Page, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 The backyards, however, were all sunbaked bare dirt tinged with weeds, and many houses, like ours, had a large slope rising above an expanse of flat ground. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2022 The strikes — for which each side blames the other — have stirred fears of a radiation release if combat rages on in this area, an expanse of farm fields along the banks of the Dnieper. Andrew E. Kramer, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2022 Now, the large windows in Shockley’s new bright and airy classroom look out at an expanse of dirt — where their old school used to be. Olivia Krauth, The Courier-Journal, 10 Aug. 2022 The family has set aside the 316 acres at Elk Meadows, an expanse filled with aspen trees and summer wildflowers, in a conservation easement held by Utah Open Lands, a nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting open spaces in Utah. Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Aug. 2022 Aside from the airport, the area is relatively undeveloped, just an expanse of woods and wetlands along Back River. Lea Skene, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2022 Michael Chubb stares out into an expanse of wild grass dotted with sandhill cranes. Natalia Galicza, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2022 But this time, the backdrop is almost as memorable as the $80,000 dress: an expanse of oversize teal-carnation wallpaper. Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 26 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin expansum, from Latin, neuter of expansus, past participle of expandere
First Known Use
1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
expanse
noun
ex·panse ik-ˈspans
: a wide area or stretch
an expanse of desert
expansions
noun
1
as in increases
something added (as by growth) the museum's new wing is only the first in a series of expansions planned for the next decade Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- increases
- additions
- boosts
- gains
- augmentations
- increments
- proliferations
- more
- rises
- raises
- accruals
- accretions
- supplements
- addendums
- upticks
- continuations
- addenda
- extensions
- accumulations
- pluses
- step-ups
- plusses
- collections
- spikes
- complements
- gatherings
- upturns
- appendixes
- jumps
- accessions
- appendices
- assemblages
- uptrends
- run-ups
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reductions
- losses
- shrinkages
- decreases
- diminutions
- depletions
- abatements
- declines
- diminishments
- decrements
- falls
- subtractions
- deductions
- falloffs
- step-downs
- drop-offs
2
as in evolutions
the act or process of going from the simple or basic to the complex or advanced the expansion of remedial reading classes into a district-wide program using school volunteers for a variety of needs Synonyms & Similar Words
- evolutions
- developments
- progressions
- progresses
- improvements
- growths
- advancements
- refinements
- elaborations
- enhancements
- betterments
- emergences
- additions
- maturations
- augmentations
- incubations
- perfections
- metamorphoses
- flowerings
- supplementations
- evolvements
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- regressions
- reversions
- retrogressions
- relapses
- lapses
- declines
- degenerations
- devaluations
- degeneracies
- downgrades
- degradations
- declinations
- deteriorations
- regresses
- decays
- declensions
- downfalls
- descents
- backslides
- decadences
3
as in expanses
a wide space or area we gazed in awe at the star-strewn expansion of nighttime sky above us Synonyms & Similar Words
- expanses
- stretches
- lengths
- distances
- plains
- reaches
- sheets
- extents
- territories
- wastes
- fields
- extensions
- breadths
- depths
- spreads
- domains
- scopes
- spheres
- spectra
- sweeps
- scales
- amplitudes
- voids
- ranges
- magnitudes
- spans
- spectrums
- compasses
- gamuts
- latitudes
- immensities
- mete
- mete (out)
- mete out
- meted
- meted (out)
- meted out
- metempiric
- metempirical
- metempirically
- metempiricism
- metempiricist
- metempiricists
- metempirics
- metempsychic
- metempsychose
- metempsychoses
- metempsychosic
- metempsychosical
- metempsychosis
- metempsychosize
- metencephala
- metencephalic
- metencephalon
- metencephalons
- metensomatoses