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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

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Etymology

Origin of expression

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

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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

The disorder affects emotional expression that can result in sudden involuntary, and out-of-control episodes of laughing, crying, or anger that do not match how a person actually feels.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Awkwardness is to Mr. Fielder what explosions are to Michael Bay, and he revels in the long, bizarre takes in which she maintains a frozen facial expression for agonizing periods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

That sort of emotional expression now has a place to live, Rajapaksa said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Cells with higher or lower levels of autophagy gene expression did not necessarily show corresponding differences in their measured recycling rates.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

She pulled an expression that was half embarrassed, half proud.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

What begins as an honest account of modern life’s bleak state is distorted alongside Berlant’s malleable expressions, slowly blossoming into something life-affirming, like a diamond among the rubble.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The dazed-angel expressions on Holmes’s face when she says such things have become a marketing hook and subject of social-media fascination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

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

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Some online fans have interpreted her facial expressions as disappointment upon learning her pair was safe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

Inside Aunt Chipo’s-hut, Masvita fanned Vatete, and Nhamo’s aunts watched with expressions of great worry.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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