expression
Americannoun
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expressions
plural
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the act of expressing or setting forth in words.
the free expression of political opinions.
- Synonyms:
- statement, assertion, declaration, utterance
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a particular word, phrase, or form of words.
old-fashioned expressions.
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the manner or form in which a thing is expressed in words; wording; phrasing.
delicacy of expression.
- Synonyms:
- phraseology, diction, language
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the power of expressing in words.
joy beyond expression.
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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
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a look or intonation expressing personal reaction, feeling, etc..
a shocked expression.
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the quality or power of expressing an attitude, emotion, etc..
a face that lacks expression; to read with expression.
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the act of expressing or representing, as by symbols.
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Mathematics. a symbol or a combination of symbols representing a value, relation, or the like.
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Linguistics. the stylistic characteristics of an utterance (opposed to meaning).
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Linguistics. the system of verbal utterances specific to a language (opposed to content).
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the act of expressing or pressing out.
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Computers. a combination of variables, constants, and functions linked by operation symbols and any required punctuation that describe a rule for calculating a value.
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Genetics.
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the action of a gene in the production of a protein or a phenotype.
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noun
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the act or an instance of transforming ideas into words
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a manifestation of an emotion, feeling, etc, without words
tears are an expression of grief
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communication of emotion through music, painting, etc
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a look on the face that indicates mood or emotion
a joyful expression
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the choice of words, phrases, syntax, intonation, etc, in communicating
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a particular phrase used conventionally to express something
a dialect expression
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the act or process of forcing or squeezing out a liquid
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maths a variable, function, or some combination of constants, variables, or functions
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genetics the effect of a particular gene on the phenotype
Synonym Usage
See phrase.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preexpressionnoun
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reexpressionnoun
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superexpressionnoun
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expressionaladjective
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expressionlessadjective
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expressionlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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?"
Vocabulary lists containing expression
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Union of Journalists in Israel denounced threats against the filmmakers, saying in a statement that "without freedom of expression, there is no democracy".
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
I look at Patrick, who shoots me a pleading expression.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
If an onomatopoeia names a sound, non-lexical vocables create a linguistic expression of somatic emotion without using actual language.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Get ready to potentially feel joyful and self-analytical afterward — Hammer packed a lot of expression into her out years, all the way to her death from ovarian cancer in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
His self-satisfied expression makes me recall how people, more than exhaustion, cold nights, and hot days, made the land rush horrible and desperate.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
From there, Saylor’s opinion consists mostly of expressions of bafflement at the idea that anyone would ever take this policy proposal seriously.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Hyperscalers had attracted much of that buying, while the supply chain remained one of the cleanest expressions of the belief that the AI capex machine would keep running at full throttle," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Is it a sight of pure, inhumane evil, or do their blank expressions merely reflect a corruption that can still be reversed?
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
Which is an argument for toning down the trash talk in online group chats where you can’t read expressions or read the room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Also an expert at watching agents behind glass to read their expressions.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
