expression — English Dictionary

expression
Pronunciations (3)
  • /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/
  • /ɛkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/
  • ɪkˈspɹɛʃ.ən

Noun

  1. The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
    Examples
    More examples (1)

    There are lots of great actresses who dress beautifully, but in the modern day, nearly all of them use stylists. They may know what they like—when they’re presented with gowns and outfits, they’re perfectly equipped to say yes or no—but you rarely get the sense that what they’re wearing is a true expression of who they are.

  2. A particular way of phrasing an idea.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
  3. A colloquialism or idiom.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
    Examples

    The expression "break a leg!" should not be taken literally.

  4. A facial appearance usually associated with an emotion.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
    Examples

    They stared at the newcomer with a puzzled expression.

    The best poker players can tell if the opponents have a good hand by looking at their expression.

    More examples (3)

    Her expression changed from joy to misery after realising her winning lottery ticket had expired.

    Eustace gaped at him in amazement. When his urbanity dropped away from him, as now, he had an innocence of expression which was almost infantile. It was as if the world had never touched him at all.

    At any other time Jessamy would have laughed at the expressions that chased each other over his freckled face: crossness left over from his struggle with the baby; incredulity; distress; and finally delight.

  5. An arrangement of symbols denoting values, operations performed on them, and grouping symbols.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
  6. The process of translating a gene into a protein.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
  7. A piece of code in a high-level language that returns a value.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
  8. A specific blend of whisky.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
  9. The act of pressing or squeezing out.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
    Examples

    expression from a gland

    Breast milk expression can be achieved by hand or with a pump.

    More examples (1)

    However the mechanical expression of juice led to an improvement of the solutes extraction from mash.

  10. The tone of voice or sound in music.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
  11. Emotional involvement or engagement in a text read aloud rendered by the voice of the reciter or the reader.

    Usage
    • Countable
    • Uncountable
    Examples

    The number of children who could read with expression would be very small ; ...

    I cannot say that all read with expression. Indeed , this power is hardly to be expected in young children . And though “ to read with expression ...

    More examples (3)

    1976, Aline D. Wolf, Tutoring is Caring: You Can Help Someone to Read, Parent Child Press Perhaps when you were learning to read , you were asked to stand and " read with expression " for your classmates

    To read with expression, readers must know when to pause appropriately, must know when to change their tone to reflect the emotions of different characters, ...

    Think of reading words like reading music. When you read with expression, your audience will understand and appreciate your “performance.” Name ...

Noun

  1. the feelings expressed on a person's face

    Broader terms
    Examples

    a sad expression

    a look of triumph

    More examples (1)

    an angry face

  2. expression without words

    Broader terms
    Examples

    tears are an expression of grief

    the pulse is a reflection of the heart's condition

  3. the communication (in speech or writing) of your beliefs or opinions

    Examples

    expressions of good will

    he helped me find verbal expression for my ideas

    More examples (1)

    the idea was immediate but the verbalism took hours

  4. a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations

    Examples

    pardon the expression

  5. the style of expressing yourself

    Synonyms
    Examples

    he suggested a better formulation

    his manner of expression showed how much he cared

  6. a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement

    Synonyms
  7. (genetics) the process of expressing a gene

  8. a group of words that form a constituent of a sentence and are considered as a single unit

    Examples

    I concluded from his awkward constructions that he was a foreigner

  9. the act of forcing something out by squeezing or pressing

    Broader terms
    Examples

    the expression of milk from her breast

Word forms
expressions

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