expanse
noun
ex·panse
ik-ˈspan(t)s 
1
2
: great extent of something spread out
an expanse of calm ocean
Examples of expanse in a Sentence
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
That’s much lower than in a lab-grade vacuum, yet across vast expanses of space, even very low particle densities can add up, so Barnard 68’s tenuous material is still enough to absorb essentially all the light that would otherwise just pass through.
—
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2025
Spanning northwest New Jersey, the district is a mix of rural expanses with rolling hills and river towns, with dense urban pockets en route to New York.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
The diverse ecosystem now hosts bighorn sheep, wild horses and coyotes across its shrubland and woodland expanses.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
From Muhanga to Mesquite The first deployment from the company that would become Zipline was in 2016 in Muhanga, Rwanda, beginning with the goal of delivering vaccines and other medical supplies quickly and reliably across the untamed expanses of Africa.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expanse
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2025
Spanning northwest New Jersey, the district is a mix of rural expanses with rolling hills and river towns, with dense urban pockets en route to New York.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
The diverse ecosystem now hosts bighorn sheep, wild horses and coyotes across its shrubland and woodland expanses.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
From Muhanga to Mesquite The first deployment from the company that would become Zipline was in 2016 in Muhanga, Rwanda, beginning with the goal of delivering vaccines and other medical supplies quickly and reliably across the untamed expanses of Africa.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expanse
Cite this Entry
“Expanse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expanse. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
expanse
noun
ex·panse
ik-ˈspan(t)s
: a wide space, area, or stretch
the vast expanse of the ocean
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share