Synonyms for expand

verb

expand implies an increasing in size, bulk, or volume and is the broadest term here, being applicable when the enlarging force operates from either the inside or the outside or when the increase comes about by unfolding, puffing out, spreading, or opening; swell implies expansion beyond the normal limits or size; distend implies a swelling as a result of pressure from within that forces a bulging outward; inflate suggests the use of air or gas, or of something insubstantial, to distend or swell a thing; dilate suggests a widening or stretching of something circular