Meaning & use
Manifest Destiny
The 19th-century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the entire North American continent.
See it in a sentence
Manifest Destiny was used to justify westward expansion throughout the 1800s.
Historians still debate the impact of Manifest Destiny on Native American nations.
A note on using this word
The phrase was coined by journalist John O'Sullivan in 1845 and is studied today mainly as a historical concept.
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