Standard Lemma guide

expedition

noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /ɛkspəˈdɪʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: EH2 K S P AH0 D IH1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A military journey; an enterprise against some enemy or into enemy territory.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An important or long journey, for example a march or a voyage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A trip, especially a long one, made by a person or a group of people for a specific purpose.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • a naval expedition
  • a scientific expedition
  • an expedition across the Alps

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The group of people making such excursion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: collective, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The process or activities of performing expediter tasks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The quality of being expedite; speed, quickness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

The act of expediting something; prompt execution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To take part in a trip or expedition; to travel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a journey organized for a particular purpose

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: journey, journeying

Narrower terms: scouting trip, campaign, hunting expedition, safari, exploration, geographic expedition

10

noun

Meaning 10

a journey taken for pleasure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • many summer excursions to the shore
  • it was merely a pleasure trip
  • after cautious sashays into the field

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excursion, jaunt, outing, junket, pleasure trip, sashay

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: journey, journeying

Narrower terms: airing, field trip

11

noun

Meaning 11

a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: military expedition, hostile expedition

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: campaign, military campaign

Narrower terms: Crusade

12

noun

Meaning 12

the property of being prompt and efficient

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it was done with dispatch

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dispatch, despatch, expeditiousness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: celerity, quickness, rapidity, rapidness, speediness

13

noun

Meaning 13

an organized group of people undertaking a journey for a particular purpose

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an expedition was sent to explore Mars

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: working group, working party

Narrower terms: Lewis and Clark Expedition

History

Etymology

From Middle French expédition, and its source, Latin expeditio.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: արշավ (aršav) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Bulgarian: експеди́ция (ekspedícija) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Chinese Mandarin: 遠征 (yuǎnzhēng) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Czech: expedice — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Danish: ekspedition — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Dutch: expeditie — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Egyptian: V25-i-i-t: (wḏyt) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Esperanto: ekspedicio — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Finnish: tutkimusretki — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Finnish: tutkimusmatka — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • French: expédition — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • German: Expedition — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Hungarian: expedíció — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Hungarian: felfedezőút — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Ido: expediciono — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Indonesian: ekspedisi — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Italian: spedizione — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Japanese: 遠征 (ensei) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Latin: expedītiō — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Macedonian: експеди́ција (ekspedícija) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Malay: ekspedisi — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Malay: penerokaan — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Māori: pahī — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ekspedisjon — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ekspedisjon — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Polish: ekspedycja — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Polish: wyprawa — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Portuguese: expedição — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Russian: экспеди́ция (ekspedícija) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Sanskrit: यामन् (yāman) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Spanish: expedición — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Swedish: expedition — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Turkish: sefer — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Ottoman Turkish: سفر (sefer) — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Welsh: alldaith — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Zazaki: sefer — An important enterprise, implying a change of place
  • Finnish: retkikunta — a group of people making a long trip
  • Ancient Greek: στόλος (stólos) — a group of people making a long trip
  • Hungarian: felfedezőcsapat — a group of people making a long trip
  • Māori: pahī — a group of people making a long trip
  • Norwegian Bokmål: oppdagelsesreise — a group of people making a long trip
  • Swedish: expedition — a group of people making a long trip
  • Zazaki: geyrık — a group of people making a long trip
Real reading context

expedition in complete knowledge articles

George de Roerich Language & communication · Advanced · 13 uses Fred Roots Ideas & learning · Advanced · 8 uses HNLMS Djambi Technology & inventions · Developing · 8 uses Krzysztof Wielicki People & society · Advanced · 8 uses Siallum Fort Places & the world · Developing · 8 uses Colin Archer Technology & inventions · Developing · 7 uses George Back Arts & music · Developing · 7 uses Clarence King Science & nature · Challenging · 6 uses