expectorate

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of expectorate For expectorating adults looking down, a guard may block big droplets but work less well for shorter persons, like children. San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2024 Place used clothing in hampers; blow your nose in a tissue; clear your throat and expectorate to remove mucus, which may contain particles inhaled in a lab; place glasses in the decontaminating solution for three minutes; take a full-body shower. Amy Barth, Discover Magazine, 24 Sep. 2012 Places where people might need to talk loudly, sing, or otherwise expectorate without a mask are seen as riskier than those where everyone can easily wear a mask at all times. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2020 Of course, there’s never been any such game where players young and old didn’t expectorate freely. Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 8 May 2020 When Andrei blasts Matvey with a shotgun, blowing apart one of his sofa cushions, which in turn expectorates a bunch of American dollars, those deeper motives becomes obvious. Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expectorate
Verb
  • The intoxicated passenger was recorded grabbing the victim's hair and spitting on her.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 June 2025
  • It must also be remembered that the circumstances of Alonso’s first two game spits him against some of the best teams from across the globe, as opposed to season-opening league fixtures against domestic rivals.
    Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Since 2020, military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have expelled Western forces — including U.S. troops — and turned instead to Russia for security support.
    Jewel Bright, NPR, 9 July 2025
  • At that point, the pericarp contracts, and both the fruit and the seeds are violently expelled through the resulting hole.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Center yourself with something simple: inhale for four counts, exhale for five.
    Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Equally, while no one met the clinical diagnostic criteria for depression, those with higher scores on questionnaires measuring depression tended to breathe in more forcefully and take longer pauses after exhaling while awake.
    Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Expectorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expectorate. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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