expression
noun
Simple meaning
A particular way of phrasing an idea.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihksprehshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪkspˈɹɛʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc.
A particular way of phrasing an idea.
A facial appearance usually associated with an emotion.
A specific blend of whisky.
A colloquialism or idiom.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc.
Used this way, expression is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use expression
- “Tears are an expression of grief.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An art movement early in the 20th century.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up.
An indirect way of expressing something.
An expression in parentheses.
The expression of one's individuality (usually through creative activities).
Informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions.
A distinctive spoken or written expression.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.