as in to object
to present an opposing opinion or argument
the concerned parents tried to expostulate with their daughter when she announced her intention to live on her own in New York City
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Recent Examples of expostulate
But most of her extended conversations on campus were either with the administrator, Val, or with the custodian, a man named Hank who liked to park himself in her office doorway and expostulate about the upcoming hunting season.
—
Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
But her style, it is suggested (for what happened at those audiences was wholly confidential) was never to expostulate – merely to ask a leading question, or to drop a subtle hint.
—Sarah Gristwood, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022
His humility does not work in his favor when promoting fights, and there is no hype man in Miocic’s corner expostulating his accolades.
—Justin Barrasso, SI.com, 14 Aug. 2019
Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
But her style, it is suggested (for what happened at those audiences was wholly confidential) was never to expostulate – merely to ask a leading question, or to drop a subtle hint.
—Sarah Gristwood, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022
His humility does not work in his favor when promoting fights, and there is no hype man in Miocic’s corner expostulating his accolades.
—Justin Barrasso, SI.com, 14 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expostulate
Verb
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Some will object, but no one will laugh.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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The rules are so one-sided that a group of America’s largest pension funds, including CalPERS, and those headed by the Controllers of both New York State and City, filed a lengthy letter objecting to half-a-dozen of the provisions.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Two banners protesting against his leadership were removed by security during the 2-0 victory against Real Oviedo on May 14.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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But a disparity in bonuses compared with SK Hynix led Samsung workers to protest and threaten to strike for 18 days this month, before a deal was reached between the company and the union.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The move was met with outrage, with fans criticizing the singer for jumping the gun and complaining that the weather had cleared up before becoming too serious.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
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Leo is expected to meet survivors while in Spain, but several victims groups have complained that they have been left in the dark about when the meeting is taking place and whether they are invited.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expostulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expostulate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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