Expedition Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of EXPEDITION

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1

:

a journey especially by a group of people for a specific purpose (such as to explore a distant place or to do research)

• organize/mount/launch a mountain-climbing expedition
• a scientific expedition to Antarctica

— also used in a playful way to refer to a short trip for a specific purpose

• a shopping expedition
• fishing expeditions

◊ The phrase fishing expedition is sometimes used in a disapproving way, especially in U.S. English, to describe a situation in which a person or group looks for evidence that someone has done something wrong without having a good reason to believe the evidence exists.

• Critics charge that the government investigation is a politically motivated fishing expedition.

2

:

a group of people who travel together to a distant place

:

a group of people who go on an expedition

• The (members of the) expedition discovered an ancient burial site.