expatiate

American  

[ik-spey-shee-eyt] / ɪkˈspeɪ ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

expatiated, expatiating

1. to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion.

   to expatiate upon a theme.

2. Archaic. to move or wander about intellectually, imaginatively, etc., without restraint.

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expatiate British  

/ ɪkˈspeɪʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. to enlarge (on a theme, topic, etc) at length or in detail; elaborate (on)

2. rare to wander about

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Other Word Forms

• expatiation
  noun
• expatiator
  noun

Etymology

Origin of expatiate

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin expatiātus, past participle of ex(s)patiārī “to wander, digress,” equivalent to ex- “from, out of, beyond” + spatiārī “to walk about,” derivative of spatium “area, space, playing field, racetrack”; see -ate ¹

Explanation

The verb expatiate means "to add details to in order to clear up." If your story is confusing to everyone who hears it, certain key parts must be missing. Better expatiate so that people can understand it. To pronounce expatiate correctly, accent the second syllable: "ex-PAY-she-ate." When you expatiate on a piece of writing, you add details. The goal is to make your ideas clearer to readers, perhaps by offering an example to help them understand. Teachers can tell when you are expatiating and when you are just adding to what you've written, say, to reach a certain length requirement. That's usually called "padding."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expatiate expatiated expatiating

It’s all there in the Reuters reporting, and there is no need to expatiate on the obvious immorality of the operation, quite apart from its colossal stupidity.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2024

Do not be afraid to expatiate on all the ways you are a bigger person — there are probably lots!

From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2020

We took long walks in the botanical garden in the Bronx, where he could expatiate on every species of fern.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 26, 2017

Did Mr. Isherwood also see these plays and respond similarly? — drjp1025, Los Angeles Ben Brantley: I said pretty much what I wanted to say in those reviews, though you can always expatiate, I suppose.

From New York Times ● May 2, 2013

It was suddenly cool to know stuff, to expatiate on the causes of the Spanish Civil War.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Groucho expatiated on Lear’s relationship to his daughters.

From The New Yorker ● Jun. 25, 2014

Scraping the last few grains around our truffle-oily plates with our forks, Harris and I mournfully expatiated on the declining status of the London cab trade.

From New York Times ● Nov. 28, 2012

The author, Anthropologist Alfred E. Crawley, expatiated on the nose rubbing of the Maoris and the Sandwich Islanders, on the billing of birds and the antennal play of insects.

From Time Magazine Archive

As a freshman, he expatiated on an assigned English essay subject: "Status Symbols."

From Time Magazine Archive

When the baron expatiated upon the superior practices of Europe, the Indians were baffled.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

When the question is general enough, they move quickly from answering it to expatiating on general themes.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 15, 2015

Afterward, he would conduct a prayer meeting, invoking Hindu, Muslim and Christian texts while expatiating on, among other things, the potency of nonviolence.

From Time Magazine Archive

Roundly expatiating on the merits of his own sitters, John once took Davidson to task for being less concerned with the intellectually than the financially great.

From Time Magazine Archive

Stone went with him, and they drank the young lady's health, Magruder expatiating on her charms and on the happiness that awaited him when he should marry her.

From Vignettes of Manhattan; Outlines in Local Color by Matthews, Brander

When they gained the sluice, Varne stood expatiating afresh, on gables and old chimney stacks.

From The Heath Hover Mystery by Mitford, Bertram