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

Martin Luther’s personal spiritual struggles brought St. Paul’s inwardness to its fullest expression; after Luther, Mr. Persico writes, “God no longer resided in the heavens, but in the human heart.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Another key question is how does the cell then pick what are the microcompartments to keep and what are the microcompartments to remove when you enter G1, to ensure fidelity of gene expression?"

Read more on Science Daily

Spend some time there and you will see the dissonance: an explosion of creative expression even while political speech is curtailed.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“From their expressions and tone, Escobar understood that his statements had offended the mayor,” the claim said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

My road from resisting public expressions of religion to embracing them took many twists and turns.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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