expansionism

noun

ex·​pan·​sion·​ism ik-ˈspan(t)-shə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce expansionism (audio)
: a policy or practice of expansion and especially of territorial expansion by a nation
expansionist noun
expansionist adjective
or less commonly expansionistic

Examples of expansionism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There will be no more inching ever-eastward for NATO—the sort of reckless expansionism that helped sparked this conflict in the first place. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025 Canberra awarded a huge contract to a Japanese firm to build advanced warships for Australia’s navy, deepening military ties between two nations increasingly wary of Chinese expansionism. Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2025 Over the years, she has been pressed into service as an avatar of patient humility or assertive feminism, of American expansionism or Indigenous rights, of Jeffersonian derring-do or native wisdom. Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 1 Aug. 2025 In those same intoxicated days, Amos Oz—a young novelist who was raised in Jerusalem under British rule and served in a tank unit during the Six-Day War—emerged from the fighting wary of expansionism and the abuse of power. David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for expansionism

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of expansionism was in 1899

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Cite this Entry

“Expansionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expansionism. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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