1
as in voice
an act, process, or means of putting something into words
the poem is his expression of his grief upon the loss of his beloved wife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in look
facial appearance regarded as an indication of mood or feeling
we could tell by the fans' expressions that the Chicago Cubs had lost again
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in term
a pronounceable series of letters having a distinct meaning especially in a particular field
the expression "John Doe" is used in legal proceedings to refer to a person whose actual name is either unknown or being withheld from the public
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in phrase
a sequence of words having a specific meaning
the popular expression "raining cats and dogs" is meaningless in other languages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expression
The film's intimate sense of joy is not a deflection against the truth of what the Johnsons are facing, but a self-conscious, honest expression of it.
—
Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
By this time, both Ono and Lennon had found a form of relief in primal scream therapy, the psychological methodology that purports to relieve repressed pain through its intense expression.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 21 Feb. 2026
If the goal is expression rather than perfection, every attempt adds to the body of work.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
The Chicago Principles is a set of policies developed at the University of Chicago in 2015 to formally establish the importance of free expression and academic freedom on campus.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expression
Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
By this time, both Ono and Lennon had found a form of relief in primal scream therapy, the psychological methodology that purports to relieve repressed pain through its intense expression.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 21 Feb. 2026
If the goal is expression rather than perfection, every attempt adds to the body of work.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
The Chicago Principles is a set of policies developed at the University of Chicago in 2015 to formally establish the importance of free expression and academic freedom on campus.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for expression
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expression
Noun
-
Claassen bears an uncanny resemblance to Head and has re-created her voice and mannerisms to perfection.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Chayefsky was originally dubbed a voice-of-the-common-man scribe with a serious control-freak streak and, after his 1950s character study Marty became a sensation on both small and big screens, enough clout to enforce it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Here's your daily look at traffic on major highways in the Kansas City area.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Feb. 2026
-
At first glance, the hotel’s facade looks like any other sleek office block on this leafy boulevard in Songshan—polished glass, lots of steel, and unlikely to win any prizes for its exterior looks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the wake of the announcement in October, The Economist’s board asked top editor Zanny Minton Beddoes to stay on for another two years, an unexpected extension of the publication’s informal ten-year term rule.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
-
In terms of safety features, the ZX135-7EB features an Aerial Angle camera system that provides a 270-degree bird’s-eye view of the working area.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While some terms or phrases may linger for centuries, most of today’s slang terminology is more current.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Over and over, Lowell junior Cayden Yuran has heard the phrase and repeated it back.—
Noah Poser,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The cadence would be right, the vocabulary impeccable, the formulations reassuringly familiar.—
Walter Quattrociocchi,
Scientific American,
18 Feb. 2026
-
This question has a beautiful formulation called the unitary synthesis problem.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The things on my birthday wishlist are practical fashion and beauty items that will simultaneously put a smile on my face *and* stand the test of time.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The Buttercream hue paints every item in the collection, and is destined to bring a smile to your face.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mostly Mute Monday tells a scientific story in images, visuals, and no more than 200 words.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The game’s objective is to group words or objects into four groups of four based on commonalities within each group as quickly as possible.—
Mark Cooper,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Next to the particularities of place—the Midwest, the South—or enmeshed with it, are the particularities of language, of idiom, and ways of saying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expression. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
