Crossword clues for expostulate
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Expostulate \Ex*pos"tu*late\, v. t. To discuss; to examine. [Obs.]
To expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is.
--Shak.
Expostulate \Ex*pos"tu*late\ (?; 135), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Expostulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Expostulating.] [L. expostulatus, p. p. of expostulare to demand vehemently; ex out + postulare to ask, require. See Postulate.] To reason earnestly with a person on some impropriety of his conduct, representing the wrong he has done or intends, and urging him to make redress or to desist; to remonstrate; -- followed by with.
Men expostulate with erring friends; they bring
accusations against enemies who have done them a wrong.
--Jowett
(Thuc. ).
Syn: To remonstrate; reason. See Remonstrate.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1530s, "to demand, to claim," from Latin expostulatus, past participle of expostulare "to demand urgently, remonstrate, find fault, dispute, complain of, demand the reason (for someone's conduct)," from ex- "from" (see ex-) + postulare "to demand" (see postulate (v.)). Friendlier sense of "to reason earnestly (with someone) against a course of action, etc." is first recorded in English 1570s. Related: Expostulated; expostulating.
Wiktionary
vb. To protest or remonstrate; to reason earnestly with a person on some impropriety of conduct.
WordNet
v. reason with (somebody) for the purpose of dissuasion
Usage examples of "expostulate".
Twenty-second century as if both of them had been there, the science fiction writer expostulating woozy expository lumps, and the Comic from the Future, never breaking character, turning it into schtick.
One day, he stood forth to expostulate, and to show wherefore Derham should not be punished for a defect, that was not his fault.
Among the earliest measures of Lord Durham was the mission of Colonel Grey to Washington, with instructions to expostulate with the American government on the state of things existing on its own borders.
Crane opened his mouth to expostulate, perhaps realised the hopelessness of trying to outtalk Bradshaw, and shut it again.
Before I had a chance to expostulate with Ibn Asl, even had such expostulation been of any avail, he was summoned to the shore, where a rider had just dismounted from his camel, as we could see from where we lay, and had sent one of Ibn Asl's men after his master.
He called me one morning into his chamber, where he was confined by the gout, and expostulated very warmly with me upon this subject.
She was slight of build and limping badlyshe had lost a shoe somewhere-but still half-running, supported on one side by Murdo Lindsay, who seemed to be expostulating with her even as he helped her along.
Louise’s high, agitated voice went on, expostulating and questioning, punctuated by the coachman’s attempts to explain or apologize, but I paid no attention.
I have observed some satirists to use the public much at the rate that pedants do a naughty boy, ready horsed for discipline: first expostulate the case, then plead the necessity of the rod from great provocations, and conclude every period with a lash.
Nonent gleefully printed a full order-then, expostulated by a maudlin something, prepared 3hree renditions of the antiwarp configuration.
Nonent gleefully printed a full order—then, expostulated by a maudlin something, prepared 3hree renditions of the antiwarp configuration.
Lord John Roxton expostulated on behalf of the wretched victims, and received nothing but threats and insults for his pains.
Captain Aubrey's voice, though well calculated to carry from one end of a ship to another in a gale, was less suited to the confidential domestic whisper, and at intervals in Mrs Williams's stream of words his deep rumble could be heard, not perhaps quite as good-humoured as once it was, expostulating about a fair-sized piece of ham that could be dressed, a sea pie that could be knocked up in a moment.