expatiate
to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion: to expatiate upon a theme.
Archaic. to move or wander about intellectually, imaginatively, etc., without restraint.
Origin of expatiate
1Other words from expatiate
- ex·pa·ti·a·tion, noun
- ex·pa·ti·a·tor, noun
Words Nearby expatiate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use expatiate in a sentence
Mourdock was not the only Republican candidate to expatiate on the subject of rape.
In the East, imagination is at liberty to expatiate on past grandeur, wisdom, and politeness.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil | Maria GrahamAs to the comparison between the two ladies, I will expatiate more on that subject, (for I like it,) when I have had them both.
Clarissa, Volume 6 (of 9) | Samuel RichardsonMrs. Evelyn let John expatiate on her daughter's heroism till steps were heard approaching, and his aunt knocked at the door.
Magnum Bonum | Charlotte M. YongeBut we must not expatiate on its effects; we must only give a little attention to the means by which they are achieved.
The English Novel | George Saintsbury
I'll warrant ye, the Sergeant no' troubled himself to expatiate on the renown of the country where his regiment was raised?
The Pathfinder | James Fenimore Cooper
British Dictionary definitions for expatiate
/ (ɪkˈspeɪʃɪˌeɪt) /
(foll by on or upon) to enlarge (on a theme, topic, etc) at length or in detail; elaborate (on)
rare to wander about
Origin of expatiate
1Derived forms of expatiate
- expatiation, noun
- expatiator, noun
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
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