# expression

/ɪksˈpɹɛʃən/ (US) · /ɛkspɹˈɛʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/expression
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. showing feelings

noun · CEFR B1

the act of showing your thoughts or feelings through words, art, or music.

For teachers: the action of manifesting thoughts, ideas, or emotions through a medium such as language or art.

- The protest was a powerful expression of the people's anger.
- The artist viewed her latest sculpture as the ultimate expression of her frustration with modern urban isolation.

### 2. facial look

noun · CEFR A2

the look on your face that shows what you are thinking or feeling.

For teachers: a facial appearance that conveys a specific emotion or state of mind.

- He had a confused expression on his face when I told him the news.
- She maintained a neutral expression throughout the cross-examination, refusing to let the jury see her growing anxiety.

### 3. a phrase

noun · CEFR A2

a word or group of words with a particular meaning.

For teachers: a particular word, phrase, or form of words, often idiomatic or colloquial.

- Break a leg is a common expression used to wish someone good luck.
- The professor explained that the expression was a regionalism rarely heard outside of the rural southwest.

### 4. mathematics

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a group of numbers and symbols that show a value.

For teachers: a finite combination of symbols that is well-formed according to rules that depend on the context.

- The teacher asked us to simplify the algebraic expression in the brackets.
- The software struggled to parse the complex mathematical expression due to a missing closing parenthesis in the third line of code.

### 5. computing

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a piece of code that gives a specific result or value.

For teachers: a syntactic unit in a programming language that can be evaluated to determine its value.

- This regular expression helps the computer find email addresses in a long text.
- The compiler evaluates the boolean expression before deciding which branch of the conditional logic to execute.

### 6. biology

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the way a gene starts working to produce a physical effect.

For teachers: the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product.

- Scientists are studying the gene expression that causes certain flowers to change colour.
- Abnormal gene expression in the early stages of development can lead to significant structural defects in the organism.

### 7. musical feeling

noun · CEFR B2

the way a musician plays to show emotion and style.

For teachers: the quality of playing or singing with sensitive and appropriate emotion.

- She played the piano piece with great expression and moved the audience to tears.
- The conductor urged the violinists to play with more expression during the melancholic second movement.

## Examples

- She had a happy expression on her face.
- The teacher used a common local expression to explain the difficult concept to the students.
- While her verbal response remained strictly professional, her facial expression betrayed a deep-seated frustration that the rest of the committee chose to ignore.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.