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expletive

American  
[ek-spli-tiv] / ˈɛk splɪ tɪv /

noun

  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.

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
expletive Cultural  

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

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

  • expletively adverb

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; explement ) + -īvus -ive

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.

Donald Trump's week began with an on-air expletive as he lost his cool over his mounting frustrations with Iran and Israel's shaky ceasefire.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2025

"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

McLemore’s use of an expletive to describe his hometown gives the podcast its abbreviated title.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 4, 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

As it happened, Butler never had time to finish his expletive, because he wisely chose that moment to relinquish his grip.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.