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expansionist

American

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

noun

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

adjective

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

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.

“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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023