expansionism

noun

ex·​pan·​sion·​ism ik-ˈspan(t)-shə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce expansionism (audio)
: a policy or practice of expansion and especially of territorial expansion by a nation
expansionist noun
expansionist adjective
or less commonly expansionistic

Examples of expansionism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His previous, Pulitzer-winning book, The End of the Myth, incisively explained how U.S. expansionism gave way to the border-wall isolationism of the Trump era. Book Marks july 3, Literary Hub, 3 July 2025 Russia has presented the invasion as a defensive maneuver to counter creeping expansionism by NATO. Niall Stanage, The Hill, 22 Feb. 2025 In those same intoxicated days, Amos Oz—a young novelist who was raised in Jerusalem under British rule and served in a tank unit during the Six-Day War—emerged from the fighting wary of expansionism and the abuse of power. David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025 The situation could start to resemble the lead-up to World War II, which partially resulted from the collapse of the League of Nations and the failure of European powers to nip German expansionism in the bud. Allison Carnegie, Foreign Affairs, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for expansionism

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of expansionism was in 1899

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Cite this Entry

“Expansionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expansionism. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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