tauten 'become taut or tauter' firm 'become taut or tauter' spread out 'extend in one or more directions' lengthen 'become long or longer' widen 'become broader or wider or more extensive' strangulate 'constrict a hollow organ or vessel so as to stop the flow of blood or air' expand 'extend in one or more directions' expand 'become larger in size or volume or quantity' strangulate 'become constricted' enlarge 'become larger or bigger'
enlarge 'FN: become larger.' grow 'FN: increase in size' expand 'FN: to become larger in any dimension' dilate 'FN: become wider, larger, or more open.' stretch 'COD: be made or be able to be made longer or wider without tearing or breaking.' spread 'FN: Expansion without loss of initial area.' shrink 'COD: become or make smaller in size or amount; contract'
The hernia will strangulate The dough expands The road widened his business expanded rapidly Your muscles will firm when you exercise regularly the rope tautened In Spring, the days lengthen
Examples from VerbNet
The clothes dried wrinkled. The clothes dried. Bill dried the clothes with a hairdryer. The hairdryer dried the clothes. The cotton clothes dried easily. Bill dried the clothes.
Examples from SemCor
Although I have emphasized the barriers which an aroused nationalism has raised against relations between Christians and non-Christians in Asia, the fact is that this development has also widened the gulf between certain Afro-Asian religions themselves. Now Gavin_Maxwell 's ring of bright water has widened to enchant the world. And further he must understand his obligation to the client to meet his physical necessities but also to enhance and improve his life and to enlarge the cultural horizon of our society. The Soviet_Union and other members of the Communist bloc are rapidly expanding their economic, technical and military assistance to the uncommitted nations. The problem grows in intensity each_year as man 's knowledge, and his capacity to translate such knowledge to the written word, continue to expand. First_of_all, and this has been calculated by observation, the universe is expanding- that_is, the galaxies are receding from each other at immense speeds. The President, in a special message to Congress, tied_in with his aged care plan requests for large federal grants to finance medical and dental scholarships, build 20 new medical and 20 new dental_schools, and expand child health_care and general medical research. All this expands the oscillation between surface and depth so_as to encompass fictive space in_front of the surface as_well_as behind it. Phil 's eyes widened just a_trifle. Such measures are essential to its job of presenting business and Government with the facts required to meet the objective of expanding business and improving the operation of the economy. The department is planning to expand its eradication program soon to four additional counties- Troup, Pierce, Bryan and Bulloch- to treat 132000 acres infested by the ants, according to W._E._Blasingame state entomologist. So widen it as to minimize the present curves and eliminate drainage problems. The firm recently expanded domestic sales into the Southeastern states as a result of an agreement with Cen-Tennial_Gin_Co.. For another second or two he gave_in to the annoyance that was directed at himself; then his mind moved_on to be confronted by something far more serious, and as the thought expanded, the implications jarred him. Widen the East_River Drive at least one lane. As the historic processes of modernization gradually gain momentum, their cohesion will be threatened by divisive forces, the gaps between rulers and subjects, town and country, will widen; new aspirants for power will emerge whose ambitions far exceed their competence; old rulers may lose their nerve and their sense_of_direction. Dr._Bonnor supports the idea that the universe both expands and contracts, that in several billion years the expansion will slow_up and reverse itself and that the contraction will set_in. If this is true, then the universe today looks just_as it did millions of years ago and as it will look millions of years hence, even_though the universe is expanding. He helped Kate and Juanita enlarge the flower_garden in the side_yard, where they sometimes sat in the still evenings watching the last fat bees working against the summer 's purple dusk. `` It never seemed to widen, it just got longer and longer''. Headquarters of the Nassau system is an increasingly busy place these days, threatening to expand beyond its boundaries. The Continental_League never got_off_the_ground, but after two years it forced the existing majors to expand.