expansionist

American  

[ik-span-shuhn-ist] / ɪkˈspæn ʃən ɪst /

noun

1. someone who advocates a policy of expansion of territory, currency, political influence, or other forms of power.

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adjective

1. relating to, advocating, or arising from a policy of expansion of territory, currency, political influence, or other forms of power.

Example Sentences

“Manifest Destiny gets coined as a term, and you had this nationalist, expansionist mindset.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

The church attack in southern Kwara state was "part of the Fulani expansionist drive, and as a way to displace the locals from the communities for illegal mining activities", Acled told the BBC.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

He explicitly cited “manifest destiny” in describing his expansionist ambitions for taking control of the Panama Canal and colonizing Mars.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2025

One of them, an intricately carved throne, expresses the Kingdom of Dahomey’s expansionist practice of enslaving captured enemies.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2024

The Olmec, he thought, were the Romans of Mesoamerica, a magisterial society that “established the pattern which, through the centuries, was to be followed by other expansionist Mesoamerican cultures.”

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann