expeditionary

[ek-spi-dish-uh-ner-ee]

adjective

1. pertaining to or composing an expedition.

   an expeditionary force.

Other Word Forms

• preexpeditionary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of expeditionary¹

First recorded in 1700–10; expedition + -ary

Example Sentences

Marines post on X featured photos of an expeditionary unit training with machine guns on the island.

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That approach reflected recognition that the U.S. military has unique capabilities for organizing expeditionary operations and answered Arab appeals for American involvement.

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The United States Marines are the country’s elite shock troops and an expeditionary force that specializes in amphibious assaults.

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Chinese records appear to first mention the island in AD239, when an emperor dispatched an expeditionary force to it - a fact Beijing uses to back its territorial claim.

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Located on the southern edge of Albuquerque, the base is home to the 377th Air Base Wing, which conducts nuclear operations and trains and equips expeditionary forces.

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