expletive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Former PM Boris Johnson famously used an expletive when asked about business concerns during the Brexit negotiations.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2024

"Hey Congresspeople! Beware! Hell hath no fury like a . . . scorned," he adds, making a cutesy little face where one guesses an expletive would have otherwise been verbalized.

From Salon • Dec. 15, 2023

“Who the heck is going to want to look at an eight-foot picture of a hideous car crash, Andy?” a friend once asked Warhol, using a stronger expletive.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023

When the Dallas Cowboys coach finally had to talk about his old coaching home, he interrupted with an expletive as a reporter prone to queries on X’s and O’s went with a touchy-feely one.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2022

If you hear the word, “Impossible!” spoken as an expletive, followed by laughter, you will know that someone’s orderly research plan is coming along nicely.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas