Expand
Expand verb - To arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area.
Usage example: a spare leaf for those times when we have to expand the dining table to accommodate extra guests
Spread is a synonym for expand in move topic. In some cases you can use "Spread" instead the word "Expand" as a verb or a noun, when it comes to topics like extend, reach, improve, grow. popular alternative
Spread
Spread verb - To become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number.
Usage example: dissatisfaction with the new administration is spreading rapidly
Expand is a synonym for spread in grow topic. You can use "Expand" instead a verb "Spread", if it concerns topics such as activity, move, extend, reach. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- As the game goes on, the infection will spread, the quarantine lines will either expand outward or be overrun, and more areas of the map will thus become open for player exploration.
Source: Video Game / Project Zomboid -
However you can only do this to a certain extent, after that you will not be able to expand the station any further, due to it being to spread out.
Source: Video Game / Locomotion
Cite this Source
Spread and Expand. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/expand/spread
Expand & Spread. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/expand/spread>.
Spread or Expand. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/expand/spread.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "expand" and "spread" have occurred on timeline