Standard Lemma guide

expandable

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 K S P AE1 N D AH0 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having the capacity to be expanded.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • an expandable baton
  • an expandable tree of data on a computer display

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Anything that can be expanded.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Mobile homes include doublewides, expandables, and single units.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

(of gases) capable of expansion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: expandible, expansible, expansile

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

able to expand or be expanded

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: expandible, expansible

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English expand Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English expandable From expand + -able.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: разширяем (razširjaem) — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Catalan: expansible — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可扩展的 — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Finnish: laajennettava — having the capacity to be expanded
  • French: extensible — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: expandierbar — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: erweiterbar — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: ausbaufähig — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: ausdehnbar — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: ausdehnungsfähig — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: erweiterungsfähig — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: expansionsfähig — having the capacity to be expanded
  • German: expansionsbereit — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Italian: dilatabile — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Italian: espandibile — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Manx: yn-lheanaghey — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Portuguese: expansível — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Spanish: ampliable — having the capacity to be expanded
  • Spanish: expandible — having the capacity to be expanded
Real reading context

expandable in complete knowledge articles