Definition of expansion

• n. - The act of expanding or spreading out; the condition of being expanded; dilation; enlargement.
• n. - That which is expanded; expanse; extend surface; as, the expansion of a sheet or of a lake; the expansion was formed of metal.
• n. - Space through which anything is expanded; also, pure space.
• n. - Enlargement or extension of business transactions; esp., increase of the circulation of bank notes.
• n. - The developed result of an indicated operation; as, the expansion of (a + b)2 is a2 + 2ab + b2.
• n. - The operation of steam in a cylinder after its communication with the boiler has been cut off, by which it continues to exert pressure upon the moving piston.
• n. - The enlargement of the ship mathematically from a model or drawing to the full or building size, in the process of construction.