expletive

American  

[ek-spli-tiv] / ˈɛk splɪ tɪv /

noun

• expletives
  plural

1. an interjectory word or expression, frequently profane; an exclamatory oath.

2. a syllable, word, or phrase serving to fill out.

3. Grammar. a word considered as regularly filling the syntactic position of another, as it in It is his duty to go, or there in There is nothing here.

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adjective

1. Also expletory added merely to fill out a sentence or line, give emphasis, etc..

   Expletive remarks padded the speech.

expletive British  

/ ɪkˈspliːtɪv /

noun

1. an exclamation or swearword; an oath or a sound expressing an emotional reaction rather than any particular meaning

2. any syllable, word, or phrase conveying no independent meaning, esp one inserted in a line of verse for the sake of the metre

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adjective

1. expressing no particular meaning, esp when filling out a line of verse

expletive Cultural  

1. Any exclamation or oath, especially one that is obscene or profane, as in “Dammit, I forgot to buy the milk.”

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Discover More

The Oval Office tapes of President Richard Nixon, released during the investigation of the Watergate scandal, made famous the phrase “expletive deleted,” which appeared frequently in expurgated transcripts of the tapes.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• expletively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• expletives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of expletive

1600–10; < Late Latin explētīvus serving to fill out, equivalent to Latin explēt ( us ) filled, filled up (past participle of explēre; see explement) + -īvus -ive

Explanation

An expletive is a swear word, a curse you let out when you are startled or mad. You probably already know a lot of expletives, but you don’t need to see them here, no way in heck. An expletive is a vulgar word that will greatly upset your grandmother if you say it in her presence. An expletive usually sneaks out because you get surprised or angry, like if you stub your toe, you might yell out an expletive. Even though you did it by accident, one of your parents still might put a bar of soap in your mouth, so watch your words. In a pinch, try these substitutes: fudge, sugar, heck, and walrus.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expletive expletives

His predecessor Joe Biden also caused controversy for aiming an expletive at a worker during his own visit to a factory in Detroit while on the campaign trail in 2020.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026

“There was an expletive in there, and she said, ‘Get back to the office, and update your program,’” Simon said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2024

"Hey Congresspeople! Beware! Hell hath no fury like a . . . scorned," he adds, making a cutesy little face where one guesses an expletive would have otherwise been verbalized.

From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2023

“Who the heck is going to want to look at an eight-foot picture of a hideous car crash, Andy?” a friend once asked Warhol, using a stronger expletive.

From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

If you hear the word, “Impossible!” spoken as an expletive, followed by laughter, you will know that someone’s orderly research plan is coming along nicely.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

“A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” said Steven Cheung, White House communications director.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

The expletives and biting one-liners that Eric Bieniemy unleashes on a football field never cut as deep as the internal dialogue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024

Keywords trigger the A.I., but so do certain combinations that seem threatening—colors associated with criminal organizations, mention of illegal activities, violent verbs, expletives, and some political content, for instance.

From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2023

In the filing, Doyle alleges the managing partner said subsequently that he did not think he would have used expletives in a management meeting.

From Reuters ● Oct. 17, 2022

The class listened to one opera each month—at least made some effort to listen over the thunder of groans and barely suppressed expletives from the athletes who populated the last row of seats.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• curse