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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.

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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

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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

They also directly measured how quickly cells carried out autophagy, allowing them to determine whether patterns in gene expression accurately reflected the amount of recycling taking place.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

He’s both charming and chilling, expertly using a near-imperceptible shift in expression or tone to keep the audience on their toes.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

“For everybody else, before the end of the month. We have this expression: Flu before ‘boo’ for Halloween.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Mordechai David channels their belligerence into political expression and entertainment."

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Yes?” he said, holding the rag still, and looking through the door screen with a blank expression.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Bogs have long been considered murky, impenetrable terrain, prompting a quagmire of expressions, such as “bogged down,” that suggest a lack of progress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Accept that their facial expression may mean anything, and distract yourself internally from interpreting these facial expressions."

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, suggests that depression may influence how strongly children focus on emotional expressions such as happy or sad faces.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

The effect is something like uncanny sketch comedy, dredging laughs from Hansen’s stilted expressions and intense demeanor, regardless of a scene’s emotional gravity.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

Thanks to his studies in London, Headmaster often shifted back and forth between Bangla and English, but he always seemed to mangle English proverbs and expressions.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

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