as in to speak
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject
the naturalist is known for her willingness to expatiate on any number of issues relating to wildlife and the environment
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Recent Examples of expatiate
There was no debate on education, for instance, the subject on which Cash had been most keen to expatiate; indeed, there were no debates at all.
—
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
Ostensibly, further studies are encouraged to expatiate this understanding.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 7 Jan. 2024
Ostensibly, further studies are encouraged to expatiate this understanding.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
With wit and elan to spare, Greene expatiates on the intrigue that ensues when David Sparsholt, an engineering student with a fiancée, Connie, and a plan to join the Royal Air Force, arrives at Oxford in 1940.
—Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2018
Alex Tizon’s essay can be read not simply as an attempt to confess a crime and expatiate his family’s guilt.
—Jean M. Twenge, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2017
Tizon’s essay can be read not simply as an attempt to confess a crime and expatiate his family’s guilt.
—Vicente Rafael, The Atlantic, 31 May 2017
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024
Ostensibly, further studies are encouraged to expatiate this understanding.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 7 Jan. 2024
Ostensibly, further studies are encouraged to expatiate this understanding.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
With wit and elan to spare, Greene expatiates on the intrigue that ensues when David Sparsholt, an engineering student with a fiancée, Connie, and a plan to join the Royal Air Force, arrives at Oxford in 1940.
—Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2018
Alex Tizon’s essay can be read not simply as an attempt to confess a crime and expatiate his family’s guilt.
—Jean M. Twenge, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2017
Tizon’s essay can be read not simply as an attempt to confess a crime and expatiate his family’s guilt.
—Vicente Rafael, The Atlantic, 31 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expatiate
Verb
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Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian spoke earlier that day in Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame about their recruiting philosophies in the age of player revenue sharing and schools allocating a big chunk of that $20.5 million to football.—
Marc Weiszer,
The Tennessean,
22 July 2025
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Both Kline and Kevin Geiger spoke about how Vermont’s recent series of floods have compressed geological time into human-scale time.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
Verb
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The type of boy to break up fights at school and lecture his fellow classmates, Steeno added.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
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The designer published his autobiography, continued to lecture about fashion.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Joey’s parents encouraged him to talk to Sunseri and head coach DeShaun Foster to find out what was going on.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
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Police shared links to two videos on the Heston James Instagram account that showed Cobb talking to employees at two different businesses, including what appeared to be a Chipotle and an auto repair shop.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Expatiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expatiate. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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