expostulate

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ex·pos·tu·late

(ĭk-spŏs′chə-lāt′)

v. ex·pos·tu·lat·ed, ex·pos·tu·lat·ing, ex·pos·tu·lates

v.intr.

To reason earnestly with someone in an effort to dissuade or correct; remonstrate. See Synonyms at object.

v.tr.

To say in protest; object: "[He] expostulated that they had every right to hold a street meeting" (Pierre Berton).

[Latin expostulāre, expostulāt- : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + postulāre, to demand; see prek- in Indo-European roots.]

ex·pos′tu·la′tion n.

ex·pos′tu·la′tor n.

ex·pos′tu·la·to′ry (-lə-tôr′ē), ex·pos′tu·la′tive adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

expostulate

(ɪkˈspɒstjʊˌleɪt)

(usually foll by: with) to argue or reason (with), esp in order to dissuade from an action or intention

[C16: from Latin expostulāre to require, from postulāre to demand; see postulate]

exˌpostuˈlation n

exˈpostuˌlator n

exˈpostulatory, exˈpostulative adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ex•pos•tu•late

(ɪkˈspɒs tʃəˌleɪt)

v.i. -lat•ed, -lat•ing.

to reason earnestly with someone by way of warning or rebuke.

[1525–35; < Latin expostulātus, past participle of expostulāre. See ex-¹, postulate]

ex•pos′tu•lat`ing•ly, adv.

ex•pos′tu•la`tor, n.

expostulate

Past participle: expostulated
Gerund: expostulating

Imperative
expostulate
expostulate

Present
I expostulate
you expostulate
he/she/it expostulates
we expostulate
you expostulate
they expostulate

Preterite
I expostulated
you expostulated
he/she/it expostulated
we expostulated
you expostulated
they expostulated

Present Continuous
I am expostulating
you are expostulating
he/she/it is expostulating
we are expostulating
you are expostulating
they are expostulating

Present Perfect
I have expostulated
you have expostulated
he/she/it has expostulated
we have expostulated
you have expostulated
they have expostulated

Past Continuous
I was expostulating
you were expostulating
he/she/it was expostulating
we were expostulating
you were expostulating
they were expostulating

Past Perfect
I had expostulated
you had expostulated
he/she/it had expostulated
we had expostulated
you had expostulated
they had expostulated

Future
I will expostulate
you will expostulate
he/she/it will expostulate
we will expostulate
you will expostulate
they will expostulate

Future Perfect
I will have expostulated
you will have expostulated
he/she/it will have expostulated
we will have expostulated
you will have expostulated
they will have expostulated

Future Continuous
I will be expostulating
you will be expostulating
he/she/it will be expostulating
we will be expostulating
you will be expostulating
they will be expostulating

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been expostulating
you have been expostulating
he/she/it has been expostulating
we have been expostulating
you have been expostulating
they have been expostulating

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been expostulating
you will have been expostulating
he/she/it will have been expostulating
we will have been expostulating
you will have been expostulating
they will have been expostulating

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been expostulating
you had been expostulating
he/she/it had been expostulating
we had been expostulating
you had been expostulating
they had been expostulating

Conditional
I would expostulate
you would expostulate
he/she/it would expostulate
we would expostulate
you would expostulate
they would expostulate

Past Conditional
I would have expostulated
you would have expostulated
he/she/it would have expostulated
we would have expostulated
you would have expostulated
they would have expostulated

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb

expostulate - reason with (somebody) for the purpose of dissuasion

argue, reason - present reasons and arguments

expostulate

verb protest, reason (with), argue (with), dissuade, remonstrate (with) `Have some sense!' he expostulated.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

expostulate

verb

To express opposition, often by argument:

challenge, demur, except, inveigh, object, protest, remonstrate.

Informal: kick, squawk.

Idioms: set up a squawk, take exception.

Translations

protestare

expostulate

[ɪksˈpɒstjʊleɪt]

A. VI → protestar, reconvenir
to expostulate with sb about sth → discutir con algn por algo

B. VT → protestar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

expostulate

vi → protestieren; to expostulate with somebody → mit jdm disputieren

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

expostulate

[ɪksˈpɒstjʊˌleɪt] vi (frm) to expostulate with sb about sth → fare le proprie rimostranze a qn per qc

References in classic literature ?

But the Cock expostulated in piteous tones from his perch: "If you kill me, who will announce to you the appearance of the dawn?

View in context

"You've got to give the spell time to work," he expostulated. "If Pat was miles away when it was wished it wouldn't be reasonable to expect to see him right off."

"Now, look here, Peter, don't talk nonsense," expostulated Dan.

View in context

He called me one morning into his chamber, where he was confined by the gout, and expostulated very warmly with me upon this subject.

It was not till almost a year after this that I broke loose, though, in the meantime, I continued obstinately deaf to all proposals of settling to business, and frequently expostulated with my father and mother about their being so positively determined against what they knew my inclinations prompted me to.

View in context

Chambers expostulated, and said, "But, Marse Tom, dey's too many of 'em--dey's--"

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"But they only offer seventy-five an acre," Rose expostulated, "and it's worth more than that as farm land.

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Brown; and when they expostulated and told her their real names, she merely nodded and went on calling them Mr.

View in context

"Dash it all, Hugh," he expostulated, "do have a little common sense.

View in context

"But, man!" I expostulated, "you advance the fact that it is your ship as though it were a moral right.

View in context

Last year during the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had remembered Savarkar and said it was the latter who boldly expostulated that whatever happened in 1857 was not a revolt but the First War of Independence.

Savarkar proposed two-nation theory, Jinnah implemented it: Bhupesh Baghel

Don't spoil it, Mama.' 'It's you who is spoiling it.' 'I can't spend my whole life in the water swimming up and down the Gower with my mam.' 'Whyever not?' Renate had expostulated, as if her womanly child could not hope to do better in life.