expression

American  

[ik-spresh-uhn] / ɪkˈsprɛʃ ən /

noun

• expressions
  plural

1. the act of expressing or setting forth in words.

   the free expression of political opinions.

   Synonyms:

   statement, assertion, declaration, utterance

2. a particular word, phrase, or form of words.

   old-fashioned expressions.

   Synonyms:

   idiom, term

3. the manner or form in which a thing is expressed in words; wording; phrasing.

   delicacy of expression.

   Synonyms:

   phraseology, diction, language

4. the power of expressing in words.

   joy beyond expression.

5. indication of feeling, spirit, character, etc., as on the face, in the voice, or in artistic execution.

   the lyric expression embodied in his poetry.

   Synonyms:

   sign, manifestation

6. a look or intonation expressing personal reaction, feeling, etc..

   a shocked expression.

   Synonyms:

   air, aspect

7. the quality or power of expressing an attitude, emotion, etc..

   a face that lacks expression; to read with expression.

8. the act of expressing or representing, as by symbols.

9. Mathematics. a symbol or a combination of symbols representing a value, relation, or the like.

10. Linguistics. the stylistic characteristics of an utterance (opposed to meaning).

11. Linguistics. the system of verbal utterances specific to a language (opposed to content).

12. the act of expressing or pressing out.

13. Computers. a combination of variables, constants, and functions linked by operation symbols and any required punctuation that describe a rule for calculating a value.

14. Genetics.

    1. the action of a gene in the production of a protein or a phenotype.

    2. expressivity.

---

expression British  

/ ɪkˈsprɛʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of transforming ideas into words

2. a manifestation of an emotion, feeling, etc, without words

   tears are an expression of grief

3. communication of emotion through music, painting, etc

4. a look on the face that indicates mood or emotion

   a joyful expression

5. the choice of words, phrases, syntax, intonation, etc, in communicating

6. a particular phrase used conventionally to express something

   a dialect expression

7. the act or process of forcing or squeezing out a liquid

8. maths a variable, function, or some combination of constants, variables, or functions

9. genetics the effect of a particular gene on the phenotype

---

Synonym Usage

See phrase.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preexpression
  noun
• reexpression
  noun
• superexpression
  noun
• expressional
  adjective
• expressionless
  adjective
• expressionlessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• expressions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of expression

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin expressiōn- (stem of expressiō ) “a pressing out.” See express, -ion

Explanation

The look on your face — sad, happy, bored, amused — is an expression. Your expression lets people know what you're feeling, unless you're good at hiding your emotions. Expression comes from a Latin word meaning “to press out” and it can still be used this way. If you make fresh orange juice, your juicer helps with the expression of the juice from the fruit. If someone uses art to express their feelings about the world, that's artistic self-expression: something felt inside has been brought out and shared. We also use expression for ways of saying something, like the expression "what's up?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expression expressions

Skubal controlled his expression and wiped his face with the towel draped over his neck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

The ultimate expression of Nvidia’s flywheel strategy might be the data-center project in Portsmouth, Ohio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Campaign group Art Not Evidence, which includes lawyers and academics, is lobbying the government to change the law to create an assumption that "creative expression" is not admissible evidence.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Across both ancient and modern samples, populations living closer to tropical regions were more likely to carry genetic variants associated with higher expression of these enzymes.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

James’s expression clouded, and he began to pile all the sheets into one of the laundry’s baskets.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

I studied her facial expressions, her commitment to a bit, her talent for comedy way beyond her years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Dogs normally interpret people using many signals at once, including facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and scent.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

If all they achieve is to advance the idea that norms are arbitrary expressions of personal preference, they win big.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Early plays Maddie’s lowest moments with raw sincerity and expressions of utter helplessness — visible cries for help, acted out with total concern and love for the feminine.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

Jim and Ophelia had invented some of the lexicon, and the expressions had filtered into the PIH culture.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• definition
• explanation
• interpretation
• language
• phrase
• remark
• speech
• statement
• style
• term
• voice
• word