expansionism
noun
ex·pan·sion·ism
ik-ˈspan(t)-shə-ˌni-zəm 
: a policy or practice of expansion and especially of territorial expansion by a nation
Examples of expansionism in a Sentence
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Given the Normans’ brutal treatment of the English and their subsequent expansion across the Mediterranean, there are undeniable parallels between 1066 and later spasms of European expansionism.
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Will Collins, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Finland, which joined NATO in 2023 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the heightened threat of Moscow's expansionism, had also fought off an invasion by the Soviet Union in 1939.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Abu Dhabi may expel Israel’s ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, a close confidante of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who shares his zeal for territorial expansionism.
—Monica Marks, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
The two defended their actions, including jamming a paper shredder with incriminating documents, as being necessary to secure the release of American hostages being held in Lebanon and to curb Soviet expansionism.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
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Will Collins, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Finland, which joined NATO in 2023 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the heightened threat of Moscow's expansionism, had also fought off an invasion by the Soviet Union in 1939.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Abu Dhabi may expel Israel’s ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, a close confidante of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who shares his zeal for territorial expansionism.
—Monica Marks, Time, 19 Sep. 2025
The two defended their actions, including jamming a paper shredder with incriminating documents, as being necessary to secure the release of American hostages being held in Lebanon and to curb Soviet expansionism.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expansionism
Cite this Entry
“Expansionism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expansionism. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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