expression

[ik-spresh-uhn]

noun

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 (meaning ).

11. Linguistics.,  the system of verbal utterances specific to a language (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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of expression¹

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

Synonym Study

See phrase.

Example Sentences

The national-security regulations, which were expanded last year, feature broad provisions against subversion and foreign collusion that have been used to clamp down on popular expressions of dissent.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She also headlined the NFL’s halftime show in its Brazilian debut in September, an homage to her South American neighbor’s rhythms and plumage bookended by the United States’ flagship expression of sporting and economic muscle.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Branding his concerts as expressions of "faith, family and homeland", the folk-rock icon has dismissed claims of pro-Nazi sympathies as "entirely inappropriate and unacceptable".

Read more on Barron's

What he called “the felicitous expression of ideas” mattered more to him than academic point-scoring.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Here Mr. Stoppard managed to impart a few slivers of his deep knowledge of literary history while exploring the universal theme of a love that cannot find expression or recompense.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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