[ek-spli-tiv] 
| 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. |
| 4. | Also, ex⋅ple⋅to⋅ry [ek-spli-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] . added merely to fill out a sentence or line, give emphasis, etc.: Expletive remarks padded the speech. |
| ex·ple·to·ry (ěk'splĭ-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) adj. Expletive. |
Any exclamation or oath, especially one that is obscene or profane, as in “Dammit, I forgot to buy the milk.”
Note: 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.
splɪ