expands

Expands is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb expand. It means to become larger in size, volume, scope, or extent; to spread outward; or to increase in range or influence.

The word derives from Latin expandere, meaning to spread out, and entered English through historical usage that connected growth and enlargement with outward movement.

In grammar, expands is used with singular subjects, as in The company expands its operations to new markets.

In mathematics, to expand an expression is to rewrite it as a sum of terms using the distributive law, for example expand (x+3)(x+2) = x^2 + 5x + 6. In calculus and algebra, expansions also include series expansions such as the Taylor expansion of a function.

In the physical sciences, expansion describes an increase in size due to temperature (thermal expansion) or pressure (gas expansion). Materials have coefficients of thermal expansion that quantify the change per degree of temperature. In cosmology, the expansion of the universe refers to increasing distances between galaxies, described by the Hubble constant.

In economics, an economic expansion is a period of rising output, income, and employment, often accompanied by growth in investment and consumption; policymakers may pursue expansionary policies to foster growth.

In computing and information technology, expand can refer to enlarging compressed data (unpacking an archive) or revealing content in a user interface by expanding a collapsed element; in programming, string expansion may refer to substituting values into templates.