extent

ex|tent [ ık`stent ] noun ***

1. ) uncount the importance of a problem or situation:

extent of: We were shocked by the extent of the damage.

The government underestimated the extent of the contamination.

the full/true extent: Doctors still do not know the full extent of his injuries.

2. ) singular or uncount the degree to which something happens or is likely to happen:

extent to which: The extent to which your diet is successful depends on your willpower.

Languages vary in the extent to which they rely on word order.

a ) to a large/great extent mainly:

The complaints were to a large extent valid.

b ) to a lesser/greater extent used for saying that something is less/more true than a previous statement:

A child's values come from its parents and, to a lesser extent, from its schooling.

c ) to some/a certain/a limited extent partly, but not completely:

To a certain extent, I was relieved.

d ) to the/such an extent that used for saying that because one thing is happening something else happens:

His business is failing to such an extent that it is losing over $40,000 a year.

3. ) uncount the size or area of something:

Open the table to its fullest extent.

in extent: almost an acre in extent