expectorating

verb

present participle of expectorate
1
as in spitting

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in blowing (out)

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for expectorating
  1. spitting
  2. expelling
  3. exhaling
Verb
  • And then there were watermelon-eating and seed-spitting contests and old fashioned sack races.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026
  • Some three hours into the four-hour drive, the road plunged into a dizzying scribble of hairpin bends, eventually spitting us out into the Colca Valley, where, at the end of 2023, Andean pitched up Puqio.
    — Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
Definition of spitting
Verb
  • Senate Bill 123 prohibits schools from expelling students solely because of excessive absences or truancy.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 29 June 2026
  • The garment also absorbs heats, carrying it away from the spacesuit's life-support system, expelling it into space.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Definition of expelling
Verb
  • Patients then cough and wheeze, especially when exhaling.
    — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 26 June 2026
  • Take 30 to 40 deep cyclical breaths, inhaling fully into the belly and chest, exhaling without force.
    — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
Definition of exhaling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

expectorates
expectorating
expectoration
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expectorating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expectorating. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All