Antonyms of verb expand

2 of 7 senses of expand

Sense 1
expand, spread out -- (extend in one or more directions; "The dough expands")
       Antonym of contract (Sense 5)
      => shrink, contract -- (become smaller or draw together; "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank")

Sense 6
elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate -- (add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation")
       Antonym of contract (Sense 9)
      => abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce -- (reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The manuscript must be shortened")

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb expand

7 senses of expand

Sense 1
expand, spread out -- (extend in one or more directions; "The dough expands")
       => grow -- (become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast")

Sense 2
expand -- (become larger in size or volume or quantity; "his business expanded rapidly")
       => grow -- (become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast")

Sense 3
expand -- (make bigger or wider in size, volume, or quantity; "expand the house by adding another wing")
       => enlarge -- (make larger; "She enlarged the flower beds")

Sense 4
boom, thrive, flourish, expand -- (grow vigorously; "The deer population in this town is thriving"; "business is booming")
       => grow -- (become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast")

Sense 5
inflate, blow up, expand, amplify -- (exaggerate or make bigger; "The charges were inflated")
       => increase -- (make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted")

Sense 6
elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate -- (add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation")
       => clarify, clear up, elucidate -- (make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death")

Sense 7
extend, expand -- (expand the influence of; "The King extended his rule to the Eastern part of the continent")
       => change, alter, modify -- (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue")