What does "expression" mean?
Expression: The act of declaring or signifying; declaration; utterance; as, an expression of the public will. With this tone of philosophy were mingled expressions of sympathy. Prescott.
Additional senses
- 2.Lively or vivid representation of meaning, sentiment, or feeling, etc.; significant and impressive indication, whether by language, appearance, or gesture; that manner or style which gives life and suggestive force to ideas and sentiments; as, he reads with expression; her performance on the piano has expression. The imitators of Shakespeare, fixing their attention on his wonderful power of expression, have directed their imitation to this. M. Arnold.
- 3.That which is expressed by a countenance, a posture, a work of art, etc.; look, as indicative of thought or feeling. "The expression of an eye." Tennyson. It still wore the majesty of expression so conspicuous in his portraits by the inimitable pencil of Titian. Prescott.
- 4.A form of words in which an idea or sentiment is conveyed; a mode of speech; a phrase; as, a common expression; an odd expression.
- 5.(Math.) The representation of any quantity by its appropriate characters or signs. Past expression, Beyond expression, beyond the power of description. "Beyond expression bright." Milton.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00