expedition
Americannoun
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an excursion, journey, or voyage made for some specific purpose, as of war or exploration.
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the group of persons, ships, etc., engaged in such an activity.
a large expedition of scientists and military personnel.
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promptness or speed in accomplishing something.
He worked with great expedition.
noun
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an organized journey or voyage for a specific purpose, esp for exploration or for a scientific or military purpose
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the people and equipment comprising an expedition
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a pleasure trip; excursion
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promptness in acting; dispatch
Usage
What is an expedition? An expedition is an organized journey or voyage made with a specific purpose, as in Johann packed only a large backpack for the expedition across the Alps. An expedition can describe any trip made with a specific purpose or for the purpose of simple exploration. The term is used formally by militaries, cartographers, groups that aim to protect wildlife, and many others. For example, a military expedition is a specific type of military operation in which a group of soldiers move into a foreign country to accomplish a task. Expedition can also be used to refer to a pleasure trip, especially for a trip to a location that is farther than a person would normally go. Expedition can also refer to the group of people who go on the trip. For example, a scientific expedition to the rainforest can mean the trip to the rainforest or those who go on the trip. Example: We took an expedition around the world to see all the sights.
Synonym Usage
See trip 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of expedition
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin expedītiōn- (stem of expedītiō ) “a (military) traveling.” See expedite, -ion
Explanation
An expedition is an organized journey that is undertaken for a particular purpose, like a group of scientists launching an expedition to South America to seek out a new medicinal herb. An expedition is no walk in the park. It's a serious journey, often with a very specific purpose undertaken by several people and lots of equipment. Sometimes, it can even be dangerous, like when the arctic adventurer was attacked by polar bears during an expedition to the Arctic. Needless to say, he hung up his explorer's hat after that expedition.
Vocabulary lists containing expedition
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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Julius Caesar
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The expedition to find the wreckage was led by the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation in partnership with the Discovery Channel's Expedition Unknown show and several other organisations.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The team plans to search for molecular fingerprints of this process in both surface and deep waters during a future expedition to the Arctic aboard the German research vessel Polarstern.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
It is a portal, a symbol of the start of the Lewis & Clark expedition and an allegory for the opening of the American West.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
The Granma expedition marked the start of a guerrilla war that swept Batista from power and ushered in over six decades of socialism.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
To protect himself from the many biting and stinging insects, Roosevelt wore a head net and long gloves so he could write about the expedition at the end of each day.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
The few times he appeared outside those safe spaces came off as safari expeditions in a mysterious city the 42-year-old lifelong Angeleno obviously didn’t know.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
He said he was contacted last year by Timothy Heng, a Singaporean who organised adventure expeditions, to guide a group of hikers up Dukono and other mountains in the region.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
The land wasn’t empty, and Native American tribes fought fiercely to defend it in alliance with the British, leading Washington to dispatch multiple punitive expeditions to subdue them and exert American control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The company’s bread-and-butter river cruises remain as popular as ever, but Viking is also expanding into ocean travels and expeditions to more far-flung locales.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
There were quieter expeditions ashore, other days, with the Master Herbal who taught the ways and properties of things that grow; and the Master Hand taught sleight and jugglery and the lesser arts of Changing.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
