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Definition of expedition noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

expedition

noun
 
 
/ˌekspəˈdɪʃn/
 
/ˌekspəˈdɪʃn/
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  1.  
     an organized journey with a particular purpose, especially to find out about a place that is not well known
    • to plan/lead/go on an expedition
    • expedition to something Captain Scott's expedition to the South Pole
    • on an expedition Hawkins had died on the same expedition a few weeks earlier.
    Wordfinder
    Extra Examples
    • He had made two expeditions to Spain to study wild plants.
    • He led a military expedition against the rebels.
    • John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to the Arctic
    • Spanish exploratory expeditions in the 16th century
    • The British agreed to a joint expedition with the French.
    • They plan to launch an expedition into the mountains.
    • an expedition into the interior of Australia
    • The first successful expedition was in 1894.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • major
    • little
    • small
    • …
    verb + expedition
    • go on
    • make
    • embark on
    • …
    expedition + verb
    • leave
    • set off
    • set out
    • …
    expedition + noun
    • leader
    • member
    • party
    • …
    preposition
    • on an/​the expedition
    • expedition against
    • expedition into
    • …
    phrases
    • the leader of an expedition
    • a member of an expedition
    See full entry
  2. the people who go on an expedition
    • Five members of Scott's expedition made it to the South Pole.
    Extra Examples
    • The expedition returned only two weeks after it had left.
    • Finally, the great expedition set off for the long journey north.
    • On 21 January the expedition reached the South Pole.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • major
    • little
    • small
    • …
    verb + expedition
    • go on
    • make
    • embark on
    • …
    expedition + verb
    • leave
    • set off
    • set out
    • …
    expedition + noun
    • leader
    • member
    • party
    • …
    preposition
    • on an/​the expedition
    • expedition against
    • expedition into
    • …
    phrases
    • the leader of an expedition
    • a member of an expedition
    See full entry
  3. (sometimes humorous) a short trip that you make when you want or need something
    • Win a fantastic shopping expedition to New York!
    Synonyms triptripjourney ▪ tour ▪ expedition ▪ excursion ▪ outing ▪ day outThese are all words for an act of travelling to a place.trip an act of travelling from one place to another, and usually back again:
    • a business trip
    • a five-minute trip by taxi
    journey an act of travelling from one place to another, especially when they are a long way apart:
    • a long and difficult journey across the mountains
     trip or journey?A trip usually involves you going to a place and back again; a journey is usually one-way. A trip is often shorter than a journey, although it does not have to be: a trip to New York • a round-the-world trip. It is often short in time, even if it is long in distance. Journey is more often used when the travelling takes a long time and is difficult. In North American English journey is not used for short trips (British English) Don't use the car for short journeys. tour a journey made for pleasure during which several different places are visited:
    • a tour of Bavaria
    expedition an organized journey with a particular purpose, especially to find out about a place that is not well known:
    • the first expedition to the South Pole
    excursion a short trip made for pleasure, especially one that has been organized for a group of people:
    • We went on an all-day excursion to the island.
    outing a short trip made for pleasure or education, usually with a group of people and lasting no more than a day:
    • The children were on a day’s outing from school.
    day out a trip to somewhere for a day, especially for pleasure:
    • We had a day out at the beach.
    Patterns
    • a(n) foreign/​overseas trip/​journey/​tour/​expedition
    • a bus/​coach/​train/​rail trip/​journey/​tour
    • to go on a(n) trip/​journey/​tour/​expedition/​excursion/​outing/​day out
    • to set out/​off on a(n) trip/​journey/​tour/​expedition/​excursion
    • to make a(n) trip/​journey/​tour/​expedition/​excursion
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • major
    • little
    • small
    • …
    verb + expedition
    • go on
    • make
    • embark on
    • …
    expedition + verb
    • leave
    • set off
    • set out
    • …
    expedition + noun
    • leader
    • member
    • party
    • …
    preposition
    • on an/​the expedition
    • expedition against
    • expedition into
    • …
    phrases
    • the leader of an expedition
    • a member of an expedition
    See full entry
    4. Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin expeditio(n-), from expedire ‘extricate’, from ex- ‘out’ + pes, ped- ‘foot’. Early senses included ‘prompt supply of something’ and ‘setting out with aggressive intent’. The notions of ‘speed’ and ‘purpose’ are retained in current senses. Sense (1) dates from the late 16th cent.
see also fishing expeditionSee expedition in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee expedition in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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