Define the word or expression

Other forms: expressions

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?»

Definitions of expression

1. noun

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

   “expressions of good will”

   “he helped me find verbal
   expression for my ideas”

   synonyms:

   verbal expression, verbalism

2. noun

   expression without words

   “tears are an
   expression of grief”

   synonyms:

   manifestation, reflection, reflexion

3. noun

   the style of expressing yourself

   “his manner of
   expression showed how much he cared”

   synonyms:

   formulation

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   types:

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   sentimentalism

   the excessive expression of tender feelings, nostalgia, or sadness in any form

   honorific

   an expression of respect

   archaicism, archaism

   the use of an archaic expression

   boilerplate

   standard formulations uniformly found in certain types of legal documents or news stories

   colloquialism

   a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech

   idiom, parlance

   a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language

   Americanism

   an expression that is characteristic of English as spoken by Americans

   Anglicism, Briticism, Britishism

   an expression that is used in Great Britain (especially as contrasted with American English)

   choice of words, diction, phraseology, phrasing, verbiage, wording

   the manner in which something is expressed in words

   glop, mush, slop, treacle

   writing or music that is excessively sweet and sentimental

   mot juste

   the appropriate word or expression

   verbalisation, verbalization

   the words that are spoken in the activity of verbalization

   type of:

   expressive style, style

   a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period

4. noun

   a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations

   “pardon the
   expression”

   synonyms:

   locution, saying

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   types:

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   Beatitude

   one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus’ (blessed)

   logion

   a saying of Jesus that is regarded as authentic although it is not recorded in the Gospels

   calque, calque formation, loan translation

   an expression introduced into one language by translating it from another language

   advice and consent

   a legal expression in the United States Constitution that allows the Senate to constrain the President’s powers of appointment and treaty-making

   ambiguity

   an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context

   euphemism

   an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh

   dysphemism

   an offensive or disparaging expression that is substituted for an inoffensive one

   shucks

   an expression of disappointment or irritation

   tongue twister

   an expression that is difficult to articulate clearly

   anatomical, anatomical reference

   an expression that relates to anatomy

   southernism

   a locution or pronunciation peculiar to the southern United States

   catchword, motto, shibboleth, slogan

   a favorite saying of a sect or political group

   axiom, maxim

   a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits

   epigram, quip

   a witty saying

   adage, byword, proverb, saw

   a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people

   idiom, idiomatic expression, phrasal idiom, phrase, set phrase

   an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up

   agrapha

   sayings of Jesus not recorded in the canonical Gospels

   sumpsimus

   a correct expression that takes the place of a popular but incorrect expression

   bus, heap, jalopy

   a car that is old and unreliable

   loophole

   an ambiguity (especially one in the text of a law or contract) that makes it possible to evade a difficulty or obligation

   amphibology, amphiboly

   an ambiguous grammatical construction; e.g., `they are flying planes’ can mean either that someone is flying planes or that something is flying planes

   parisology

   the use of ambiguous words

   double entendre

   an ambiguity with one interpretation that is indelicate

   catch phrase, catchphrase

   a phrase that has become a catchword

   mantra

   a commonly repeated word or phrase

   battle cry, cry, rallying cry, war cry, watchword

   a slogan used to rally support for a cause

   aphorism, apophthegm, apothegm

   a short pithy instructive saying

   gnome

   a short pithy saying expressing a general truth

   moralism

   a moral maxim

   ruralism, rusticism

   a rural idiom or expression

   old man

   an informal term for your father

   type of:

   language, oral communication, speech, speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, voice communication

   (language) communication by word of mouth

5. noun

   the feelings expressed on a person’s face

   “a sad
   expression”

   synonyms:

   aspect, face, facial expression, look

6. noun

   a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement

7. noun

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

8. noun

   (genetics) the process of expressing a gene

9. noun

   the act of forcing something out by squeezing or pressing

: an act or product of pressing out

Dance is a form of artistic expression.

He uses some very odd expressions.

The expression “to make fun of” means “to ridicule.”

Judging from her expression, I think the gift was a complete surprise.

We saw his expression change from angry to sad.

She wore a smug expression.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Designed by notable watchmaker and physicist Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, the Freak represented a fresh expression of watchmaking.


—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 27 Mar. 2023




And car critics see in them the expression of drivers’ contradictory desires — to stand out while also conforming.


—Daniel Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2023




To the coalition, this seems out of step with the moment; the murder of George Floyd, in 2020, sparked tensions but also led to the expression of solidarity between Latinos and African Americans, and within Black and non-Black Latino communities.


—Geraldo Cadava, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2023




But rather than sink into despair, many Black Americans have leaned on forms of Black cultural expression—call it the blues—to find a way out of no way.


—Eric Herschthal, The New Republic, 23 Mar. 2023




As Ella Lee reports: The First Amendment protects freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or any American’s right to speak freely, among other rights.


—Sarah Elbeshbishi, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2023




The cancellations echo broader tensions between Hong Kong’s efforts to maintain its status as a global culture hub, hosting international art fairs and film festivals, and China’s increasingly tight grip on creative expression in the city.


—Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023




Several advocacy groups have expressed concern that banning TikTok could curb Americans’ freedom of expression.


—Anna Edgerton And Alex Barinka Bloomberg News (tns), al, 22 Mar. 2023




Jasper’s writings, produced in instants, restrict and regularize forms of verbal expression based on the most dominant qualities of the most common sorts of text.


—WIRED, 22 Mar. 2023


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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘expression.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of expression was
in the 15th century