expansionism
noun
ex·pan·sion·ism
ik-ˈspan(t)-shə-ˌni-zəm 
: a policy or practice of expansion and especially of territorial expansion by a nation
Examples of expansionism in a Sentence
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Habermas’s near-total indifference to European colonialism—let alone Israel’s violent expansionism and the darker history of capitalism—has long made his philosophy look historically naïve.
—
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Poland began the largest overhaul of its navy since the Cold War to bolster defenses in the face of Russian expansionism and transatlantic tensions.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The public, according to polls, does not support the President’s expansionism.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Beijing is likely to respond with diplomatic criticism and even economic coercion if Takaichi increases Tokyo’s support of Taiwan, counters China’s maritime expansionism, or manages to revise Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
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Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Poland began the largest overhaul of its navy since the Cold War to bolster defenses in the face of Russian expansionism and transatlantic tensions.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The public, according to polls, does not support the President’s expansionism.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Beijing is likely to respond with diplomatic criticism and even economic coercion if Takaichi increases Tokyo’s support of Taiwan, counters China’s maritime expansionism, or manages to revise Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expansionism
Cite this Entry
“Expansionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expansionism. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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