Extent - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT extent /ɛkˈstɛnt/ /ɛksˈtɛnt/ IPA guide

Other forms: extents

The extent is the area something covers. That could be physical space or something like being prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Use the word extent when you are discussing how far something extends — how far it reaches. If you're an expert, the extent of your knowledge is wide. If you own a lot of property, the extent of your land is huge. The full extent of something is like the limit — that's the end of it. If you've reached the extent of your patience, you're out of patience. If an earthquake destroyed your house, the extent of the damage was severe.

Definitions of extent

noun the point or degree to which something extends “the extent of the damage” “the full extent of the law” “to a certain extent she was right” see moresee less type of: degree, level, point, stage a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process
noun the distance or area or volume over which something extends “the vast extent of the desert” “an orchard of considerable extent” see moresee less types: show 35 types... hide 35 types... coverage the extent to which something is covered frontage the extent of land abutting on a street or water bound, boundary, limit the greatest possible degree of something ambit, compass, orbit, range, reach, scope an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet" area, expanse, surface area the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a boundary length the property of being the extent of something from beginning to end deepness, depth the extent downward or backward or inward knife-edge a narrow boundary absoluteness, starkness, utterness the quality of being complete or utter or extreme heat barrier, thermal barrier a limit to high speed flight imposed by aerodynamic heating level best, maximum, utmost, uttermost the greatest possible degree brink, cusp, verge the limit beyond which something happens or changes approximate range, ballpark near to the scope or range of something confines, pale a bounded scope contrast the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness) internationalism, internationality quality of being international in scope latitude scope for freedom of e.g. action or thought; freedom from restriction horizon, purview, view the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated expanse, sweep a wide scope gamut a complete extent or range: "a face that expressed a gamut of emotions" spectrum a broad range of related objects, values, qualities, ideas, or activities palette, pallet the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art acreage, land area an area of ground used for some particular purpose (such as building or farming) footprint the area taken up by some object deepness, profoundness, profundity the quality of being physically deep draft, draught the depth of a vessel's keel below the surface (especially when loaded) penetration the depth to which something penetrates (especially the depth reached by a projectile that hits a target) sounding a measure of the depth of water taken with a sounding line shallowness the quality of lacking physical depth erasure a surface area where something has been erased blank space, place, space a blank area space one of the areas between or below or above the lines of a musical staff balk, baulk the area on a billiard table behind the balkline plane section, section (geometry) the area created by a plane cutting through a solid segment the area of a circle bounded by a chord and an arc of the circle type of: magnitude the property of relative size or extent (whether large or small)

Pronunciation US /ɛkˈstɛnt/ UK /ɛksˈtɛnt/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘extent'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Commonly confused words

extant / extent

They sounds similar and both have exes, but extant means “still here,” and extent refers to “the range of something.” People get them mixed up to a certain extent.

Word Family

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