expansionism

American  

[ik-span-shuh-niz-uhm] / ɪkˈspæn ʃəˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. a policy of expansion, as of territory or currency.

   the colonial expansionism of Europe in the 19th century.

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expansionism British  

/ ɪkˈspænʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. the doctrine or practice of expanding the economy or territory of a country

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Other Word Forms

• antiexpansionism noun
• antiexpansionist noun
• expansionist noun
• expansionistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of expansionism

First recorded in 1895–1900; expansion + -ism

Example Sentences

Two World Wars—and the surge in destructive technology—showed that industrial warfare had made territorial expansionism devastating.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026

Later it became standard fare she studied in high school: the engineering feat connecting two oceans, a formative adventure in American expansionism, an early notch on Teddy Roosevelt’s belt.

From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2024

The US marked its diplomatic presence at the presidential country retreat by brokering a thaw in the relationship of the two pacific nations in the face of growing Chinese expansionism.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2023

Shinzo Abe was born in Tokyo on Sept. 21, 1954, to a family deeply involved in Japan’s postwar politics and carrying the burden of connections to the former imperial rule and its militaristic expansionism.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2022

Many thinkers view the economic expansionism of our time, together with the vigorous technology which it fosters and is fostered by, as the only means toward this end.

From The Nation's River A report on the Potomac from the U.S. Department of the Interior by United States. Dept. of the Interior.

Related Words

• imperialism