manifest destiny

noun

often capitalized M&D
: a future event accepted as inevitable
in the mid-19th century expansion to the Pacific was regarded as the Manifest Destiny of the United States
broadly : an ostensibly benevolent or necessary policy of imperialistic expansion

Examples of manifest destiny in a Sentence

They were living in a time when expansion to the Pacific was regarded by many people as the Manifest Destiny of the United States.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The water gap is an enduring legacy of manifest destiny; the infrastructure, and legislation, that came with it still largely define how water is used. Photographs & Text By Elliot Ross For Time, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024 This is wild and sad, a fairy tale of manifest destiny that evokes in almost equal parts Cormac McCarthy and Charles Portis, in addition to the aforementioned Hoban and Milch. Philip Martin, arkansasonline.com, 13 July 2024 For others, Zionism is a form of modern-day colonialism or racist manifest destiny — the attempt to justify the seizure of contested land in the name of God. Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024 Mars’s rosy future is what beckons now: a new frontier awaiting human colonization, fulfilling our manifest destiny amid the stars. Michael Saler, WSJ, 27 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for manifest destiny 

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manifest destiny was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near manifest destiny

Cite this Entry

“Manifest destiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manifest%20destiny. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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