as in to speak
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject
the naturalist is known for her willingness to expatiate on any number of issues relating to wildlife and the environment
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Recent Examples of expatiate
There was no debate on education, for instance, the subject on which Cash had been most keen to expatiate; indeed, there were no debates at all.
—
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
Ostensibly, further studies are encouraged to expatiate this understanding.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 7 Jan. 2024
With wit and elan to spare, Greene expatiates on the intrigue that ensues when David Sparsholt, an engineering student with a fiancée, Connie, and a plan to join the Royal Air Force, arrives at Oxford in 1940.
—Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2018
Alex Tizon’s essay can be read not simply as an attempt to confess a crime and expatiate his family’s guilt.
—Jean M. Twenge, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2017
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
Ostensibly, further studies are encouraged to expatiate this understanding.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 7 Jan. 2024
With wit and elan to spare, Greene expatiates on the intrigue that ensues when David Sparsholt, an engineering student with a fiancée, Connie, and a plan to join the Royal Air Force, arrives at Oxford in 1940.
—Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2018
Alex Tizon’s essay can be read not simply as an attempt to confess a crime and expatiate his family’s guilt.
—Jean M. Twenge, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expatiate
Verb
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The duo had already spoken on the phone three times before Nehls' morning interview with USA TODAY.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Most people who spoke to the Herald say they were blindsided by the news.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With me, my wife lectures me more than my children.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Apr. 2026
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The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Everyone in the family had made sacrifices to open on time, with Alysha herself taking time off from her senior year in high school to talk to painters and builders.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
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Grab any chance to travel for pleasure or talk to people from other cultures.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expatiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expatiate. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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