# expression

> English word · Noun · IPA /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ · frequency rank #2,734

## Definitions
1. The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc.
2. A particular way of phrasing an idea.
3. A colloquialism or idiom.
4. A facial appearance usually associated with an emotion.
5. An arrangement of symbols denoting values, operations performed on them, and grouping symbols.
6. The process of translating a gene into a protein.
7. A piece of code in a high-level language that returns a value.
8. A specific blend of whisky.
9. The act of pressing or squeezing out.
10. The tone of voice or sound in music.
11. Emotional involvement or engagement in a text read aloud rendered by the voice of the reciter or the reader.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French expression, from Late Latin expressiō, expressiōnem (“a pressing out”).
Morphologically express + -ion.

## Easily confused with
- **expressive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expression-vs-expressive)
- **expressions** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expression-vs-expressions)
- **expressing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expressing-vs-expression)

## Common misspellings (14)
`epxression`, `experssion`, `exppression`, `expresion`, `expresison`, `expressino`, `expressionn`, `expressoin`, `exprestion`, `exprression`, `exprsesion`, `exrpession`, `exxpression`, `xepression`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/expression