[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

expand \expand"\, v. i.
   to become widely opened, spread apart, dilated, distended, or
   enlarged; as, flowers expand in the spring; metals expand by
   heat; the heart expands with joy. --dryden.
   1913 webster

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

expand \expand"\, v. t. imp.  p. p. expanded; p. pr.  vb.
   n. expanding. l. expandere, expansum; ex out + pandere to
   spread out, to throw open; perh. akin to e. patent. cf.
   spawn.
   1. to lay open by extending; to open wide; to spread out; to
      diffuse; as, a flower expands its leaves.
      1913 webster

            then with expanded wings he steers his flight.
                                                  --milton.
      1913 webster

   2. to cause the particles or parts of to spread themselves or
      stand apart, thus increasing bulk without addition of
      substance; to make to occupy more space; to dilate; to
      distend; to extend every way; to enlarge; -- opposed to
      contract; as, to expand the chest; heat expands all
      bodies; to expand the sphere of benevolence.
      1913 webster

   3. math. to state in enlarged form; to develop; as, to
      expand an equation. see expansion, 5.
      1913 webster
see also:
expanded expanding spawn contract expansion 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

expand
     v 1: extend in one or more directions; "the dough expands" syn:
          spread out ant: shrink
     2: become larger in size or volume or quantity; "his business
        expanded rapidly"
     3: make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity; "expand
        the house by adding another wing"
     4: grow stronger; "the economy was booming" syn: boom, prosper,
         thrive, get ahead, flourish
     5: exaggerate or make bigger; "the charges were inflated" syn:
         inflate, blow up, amplify
     6: 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"
        syn: elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge,
         flesh out, expound, dilate ant: abridge
     7: expand the influence of; "the king extended his rule to the
        eastern part of the continent" syn: extend
see also:
spread out shrink boom prosper thrive get ahead 
flourish inflate blow up amplify elaborate 
lucubrate expatiate exposit enlarge flesh out 
expound dilate abridge extend 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

119 moby thesaurus words for "expand":
   add to, adulterate, aggrandize, amplify, attenuate, augment,
   balloon, beef up, bloat, blow up, bolster, boost, branch,
   branch out, broaden, build, build up, bulk, bulk out, complete,
   crescendo, cut, deal in generalities, deepen, deploy, descant,
   detail, develop, dilate, dilute, discourse, disperse, distend,
   ecumenicize, elaborate, embellish, enlarge, enlarge upon,
   enter into detail, etherealize, evolve, exalt, expatiate,
   explicate, extend, fan, fan out, fatten, fill out, flare,
   generalize, globalize, go into, greaten, grow, heighten, hike,
   hike up, huff, increase, inflate, jack up, jump up, labor,
   lengthen, magnify, make a generalization, maximize, mount,
   multiply, mushroom, open, open up, outspread, outstretch, overgrow,
   overrun, parlay, particularize, prolong, protract, puff, puff up,
   pump, pump up, put up, pyramid, raise, ramify, rarefy,
   rehearse in extenso, relate at large, snowball, spell out, splay,
   spraddle, sprangle, sprawl, spread, spread like wildfire,
   spread out, stretch, subtilize, sufflate, swell, thicken, thin,
   thin out, tumefy, unfold, universalize, up, upsurge, vise, water,
   water down, wax, widen, work out

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