ex ‧ pe ‧ di ‧ tion /ˌekspəˈdɪʃ ə n, ˌekspɪˈdɪʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun
1 . [countable] a long and carefully organized journey, especially to a dangerous or unfamiliar place, or the people that make this journey:
an expedition to the North Pole
another Everest expedition
on an expedition
He went on an expedition to Borneo.
2 . [countable] a short journey, usually made for a particular purpose SYN trip :
a shopping expedition
a fishing expedition
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ go on an expedition
After the war, Swainson went on an expedition to Patagonia.
▪ make an expedition (=go on an expedition)
The men made expeditions to Spain, Greece and Asia Minor to find fossils.
▪ set off on an expedition ( also embark on an expedition formal ) (=leave at the start of an expedition)
Trent set off on an expedition to collect plants with fellow botanical students.
▪ mount/launch an expedition (=plan, organize, and begin an expedition)
Ornithologists are mounting an expedition to the island in order to study the birds.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + expedition
▪ a scientific expedition
He led the first major British scientific expedition to the Amazon.
▪ an Arctic/Antarctic expedition
I accompanied the explorer on one of his Arctic expeditions.
▪ a military expedition
The generals decided to launch a military expedition to the region.
▪ a punitive expedition (=one an army undertakes to punish someone)
The Afghan army mounted a punitive expedition against the local militia groups.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ NOUN + expedition
▪ a shopping expedition (=when you go shopping)
I took Mary and the kids on a shopping expedition into Manchester.
▪ a fishing expedition
We’re organizing a fishing expedition to the lake for next week.
▪ a hunting expedition
He was joined on his hunting expedition by two local guides.
▪ a foraging expedition (=when you search for food)
On our foraging expedition into the woods, we found mushrooms and wild berries.
■ verbs
▪ go on an expedition
We decided to go on a shopping expedition to London.
▪ take someone on an expedition
He’s taking the boys on a camping expedition next weekend.