expanse
gb/ɪkspˈæns/ us/ɪkspˈæns/
B2
English
~ 8300
kiterjedt terület, térség, vízfelület, felület, egybefüggő felület, terjedelem, kiterjedés, távlat
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
an expanse of [land/water/sky]
From the hilltop we could see a vast expanse of forest stretching to the horizon.
A dombtetőről hatalmas, a látóhatárig húzódó erdőséget láttunk.
The tiny fishing boat disappeared into the dark expanse of the ocean.
Az apró halászhajó eltűnt az óceán sötét végtelenjében.
Above them, an endless expanse of blue sky made the town seem very small.
They crossed a barren expanse of desert before reaching the village.
The cabin looked out over a quiet expanse of lake and distant mountains.
Learner examples
We walked across a wide expanse of sand on the beach.
A tengerparton egy széles homokterületen sétáltunk át.
The plane flew over a great expanse of water.
A repülő hatalmas vízfelület fölött repült.
The house stands alone in a large expanse of fields.
I could see only a white expanse of snow outside the window.
They were lost in the huge expanse of the forest.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "expanse" with "expense" because they look similar. "Expanse" means a very wide open area, while "expense" is the money you spend. Learners may also forget to use "of" and say *"a large expanse sea"* instead of "a large expanse of sea."
Meaning
very wide open area
Collocations
vast expanse
|wide expanse
|open expanse
|an expanse of sea
|snow-covered expanse
|empty expanse
Synonyms
stretch (Often used in a similar way, but can refer to a smaller or less dramatic area.)
|
area (More general and less vivid; does not always suggest great width or openness.)
Antonyms
enclosure (Suggests a small or closed-in space, the opposite of an open, wide expanse.)
Themes
nature
|geography
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A very wide open area of land, water, or sky that seems to go on for a long way.
A very wide, open area of land, water, or sky that appears large and continuous when viewed.
NOUN
B2
2
felület
B1
Usage pattern:
an expanse of [material/color]
The building’s front is a single expanse of glass that reflects the city lights.
Az épület homlokzata egyetlen összefüggő üvegfelület, amely visszatükrözi a város fényeit.
A smooth expanse of marble covered the floor of the hall.
A csarnok padlóját sima, összefüggő márványfelület borította.
Beyond the fence lay a green expanse of freshly cut lawn.
The moonlight shone on the white expanse of ice covering the lake.
The painter stood back to study the empty expanse of canvas before making the first mark.
Learner examples
The wall is just a big white expanse with no pictures.
A fal csak egy nagy fehér felület, képek nélkül.
We skated on a wide expanse of ice on the river.
A folyón egy széles jégfelületen korcsolyáztunk.
There was a large glass expanse at the front of the shop.
Children ran across the green expanse of the park lawn.
The artist looked at the blank expanse of paper on the table.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "expanse" only for natural landscapes and feel unsure about using it for surfaces like glass or concrete. It is correct to say "an expanse of glass" or "a concrete expanse" when the surface is large and unbroken.
Meaning
large continuous surface area
Collocations
an expanse of glass
|smooth expanse
|green expanse
|white expanse
|concrete expanse
|shiny expanse
Synonyms
surface (More general; does not always suggest great size or continuity.)
|
sheet (Often used for thin, flat layers, especially of ice, metal, or paper; may suggest thinness more than width.)
Antonyms
patch (Suggests a small, limited area, the opposite of a large, continuous expanse.)
Themes
architecture
|objects
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A big, unbroken surface of one thing, like glass, grass, ice, or concrete.
A large, continuous surface or area of a single material or color, especially one that appears flat and unbroken.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
3
Usage pattern:
the expanse of [time/knowledge/information]
The book tries to map the vast expanse of human knowledge into a single volume.
A könyv megpróbálja egyetlen kötetben feltérképezni az emberi tudás hatalmas terjedelmét.
Over the long expanse of history, small changes in climate have shaped entire civilizations.
A történelem hosszú távlatában az éghajlat apró változásai egész civilizációkat formáltak.
She felt lost in the endless expanse of information available on the internet.
The course broadened the intellectual expanse of his thinking about politics and ethics.
Astronomers study the immense expanse of space and time to understand how the universe began.
Learner examples
It is hard to imagine the huge expanse of time before humans existed.
Nehéz elképzelni azt a hatalmas időtávot, amely az ember megjelenése előtt telt el.
Students today can search the great expanse of information on the internet.
A mai diákok az interneten elérhető óriási mennyiségű információ között kereshetnek.
Travel can increase the expanse of your experience and ideas.
Scientists try to understand the wide expanse of data from the experiment.
The movie shows the emotional expanse of the main character’s life.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse this abstract sense in everyday speech, where simpler words like "a lot of" or "a wide range of" are more natural. "Expanse" with abstract nouns is more common in written or literary style, and usually paired with modifiers like "vast" or "endless."
Meaning
very large abstract extent
Collocations
the vast expanse of time
|the wide expanse of knowledge
|the digital expanse
|the moral expanse
|the intellectual expanse
|the endless expanse of space and time
Synonyms
extent (A more neutral, technical term; less visual or poetic than "expanse.")
|
breadth (Focuses on wide range or variety, especially of ideas or knowledge, and can sound slightly formal.)
Antonyms
narrowness (Suggests a small or limited range, the opposite of a large, wide expanse in an abstract sense.)
Themes
abstract
|time
|knowledge
|core_vocabulary
|education
Definition
A very large amount or range of something non-physical, like time, ideas, or knowledge.
A very large extent or range of something abstract, such as time, knowledge, experience, or information, often imagined as a wide open space.
Grammar
Dictionary form
expanse
IPA
GB/ɪkspˈæns/
US/ɪkspˈæns/
Syllables & stress
ex - panse (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (panse)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: expanse
- Plural: expanses
Word family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.