expeditionary

American  

[ek-spi-dish-uh-ner-ee] / ˌɛk spɪˈdɪʃ əˌnɛr i /

adjective

1. pertaining to or composing an expedition.

   an expeditionary force.

---

Other Word Forms

• preexpeditionary adjective

Etymology

Origin of expeditionary

First recorded in 1700–10; expedition + -ary

Example Sentences

On Friday, the Pentagon announced that an additional expeditionary unit of 2,500 Marines was being deployed to the region to support the effort.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

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

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2025

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.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2024

A British expeditionary force was about to sail across the English Channel and link up with French forces fighting in Belgium.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman