1
general::
expression
a look on someone’s face that shows what they are thinking or feeling:
• His expression became more serious as he listened to her story. • She had a contented expression. • He has a very different expression in the next picture.
look
an expression – used especially with adjectives that describe the expression. Look sounds less formal than expression:
• She had a sad look on her face. • With a look of relief, he handed her the baby. • What’s that look for? • She gave me a dirty look (= a look that showed she was angry ) .
face
used when talking about someone’s expression, especially in the following phrases:
• You should have seen his face ! • Look at my face . Am I bothered? • The boys were making faces (= making strange, silly, or rude expressions which show that you dislike someone ) through the window.
different types of expression
frown
the expression on your face when you move your eyebrows together because you are angry, unhappy, or confused:
• With a frown, she asked, ‘So what’s wrong with that?’
smile
an expression in which your mouth curves upwards, when you are being friendly or are happy or amused:
• She gave him a quick smile.
scowl
an angry or disapproving expression:
• There was a scowl of irritation on his face.
glare
a long angry look:
• He gave her a furious glare, but said nothing.
grimace
an expression you make by twisting your face because you do not like something or because you are feeling pain:
• His face twisted into a grimace of anguish.
sneer
an expression that shows you have no respect for something or someone:
• ‘That’s what you said last time,’ she said with a sneer.
smirk
an expression in which you smile in an unpleasant way that shows you are pleased by someone else’s bad luck or that you think you are better than other people:
• He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
pout
an expression in which you push out your lower lip because you are unhappy that you did not get what you want:
• ‘You’re going away?’ she said with a pout.
Longman-Thesaurus
2
general::
noun showing feelings/ideas ADJ. clear, coherent Her statement was a clear expression of her views on this subject. | concrete, material, practical, tangible The report gave concrete expression to the fears of many immigrants. | direct Just because there is no direct expression of prejudice, that does not mean the prejudice does not exist. | full The new concept of form reached its fullest expression in the work of Picasso. | highest, perfect, ultimate His highest expression of praise was ‘Not bad!’ the highest expression of human creativity | effective, powerful | simple | natural He wanted to write a verse drama in which the verse would seem a natural expression of modern life. | spontaneous | free the right of free expression | open, overt, public the open expression of emotion | outward the outward expression of inner emotional feelings | formal | characteristic, classic Modernism was the characteristic expression of the experience of modernity. | unique | collective Harvest festival was the occasion for the collective expression of a community's religious values. | individual, personal to allow scope for individual expression | visible, visual | emotional, physical, sexual, verbal | artistic, creative, cultural, linguistic, literary, musical, poetic, political, religious | human VERB + EXPRESSION achieve, find, reach, receive an anger and frustration that finds expression in (= is shown in) violence | allow sth, give sth The method is to listen to the music and allow expression to whatever comes to you. Only in his dreams does he give expression to his fears. | demand, need, require Suddenly her deeper feelings demanded expression. PREP. beyond ~ She suddenly felt happy beyond expression (= so happy that she could not express it). PHRASES freedom of expression Freedom of expression (= freedom to say what you think) is a basic human right. | a means of expression Words, as a means of expression, can be limiting. on sb's face ADJ. bland, blank, frozen, set, vacant | dazed, glazed | deadpan cracking jokes with a deadpan expression on his face | curious, enigmatic, inscrutable, odd, strange, unreadable | guarded | searching | faraway | thoughtful, wistful | doubtful, wary | anxious, troubled, worried | bleak, grim, serious | angry, fierce, furious, stern | hangdog, hunted, lugubrious, melancholy, mournful, pained, sad | brooding, intense, rapt | surprised, shocked | baffled, bemused, bewildered, puzzled, quizzical | alert | amused, wry | benign, sympathetic | satisfied, smug | innocent | fleeting | facial VERB + EXPRESSION have, wear She had a very bewildered expression on her face. The children's faces all wore the same rapt expression. | assume, put on She carefully put on her most innocent expression. | take on Rose's face took on the fierce expression of a schoolgirl talking about her most hated teacher. | catch, see Catching a fleeting expression on Lucy's face, she persisted with her question. | watch | gauge, read I looked at her, trying to read the expression on her face. | change His face never changed expression. EXPRESSION + VERB alter, change His expression changed to embarrassment. | relax, soften His expression softened when he saw her. | darken, harden Her expression hardened into one of strong dislike. | freeze | betray sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth, tell sb sth Her expression betrayed nothing of her thoughts. His grim expression told her it would be useless. | give nothing away | cross sth, flit across sth She had been watching the expression that crossed his face. PREP. without ~ ‘Go on, ’ she said, without expression. | ~ of He wore an expression of anxiety on his face. PHRASES the expression in sb's eyes/on sb's face He looked at her with a very strange expression in his eyes. words ADJ. common | outdated | colloquial, slang | favourite | memorable | strange, unusual | figurative, idiomatic | coarse, vulgar | American, English, etc. | geographical Until the mid-nineteenth century, ‘Italy’ was just a geographical expression. VERB + EXPRESSION use He tends to use strange expressions like ‘It's enough to make a cat laugh’. EXPRESSION + VERB mean sth
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
expression
phrases
freedom of expression
(= the right to say what you think without being punished )
• Student protestors who demanded greater freedom of expression were rounded up by police.
an expression of regret
• The military has not offered any expression of regret over the civilian loss of life.
an expression of sympathy
• There was no apology, no expression of sympathy for what Anna had suffered.
an expression of concern
• His release from prison provoked expressions of concern from members of the public.
an expression of anger
• She tried to protect the children from his expressions of anger.
sb’s powers of expression
formal (= the ability to say or write what you feel )
• I tried to put my feelings down on paper, but my powers of expression failed me.
verbs
give expression to something
formal (= express something )
• In the book, he gives expression to his political ideals.
expression 2
adjectives
sb’s facial expression
• Victor’s facial expression never changed.
a blank/vacant expression
(= one that shows no emotion, understanding, or interest )
• The blank expression on Bobbie’s face gave way to anger.
an anxious/troubled/worried expression
• She stood looking at me with an anxious expression.
a pained expression
(= one that shows you are in pain or feeling upset )
• A pained expression crossed Rory’s face when he saw them together.
a surprised/shocked expression
• He didn’t need to speak – his shocked expression said it all.
a puzzled/baffled/bewildered expression
(= one that shows you are confused or cannot understand something )
• I can still recall Dan’s baffled expression when I asked him for an answer.
a grim/stern expression
(= one that shows you are very strict or angry )
• Aunty Kitty looked at us with a stern expression and ordered us indoors.
an angry/furious expression
• Her angry expression turned to one of utter despair.
a serious expression
(= one that shows you are not joking )
• I saw the serious expression on his little face and tried not to laugh.
a thoughtful expression
(= one that shows you are thinking about something )
• She listened to him with a thoughtful expression on her face.
an innocent expression
• ‘It was so late,’ she continued with an innocent expression, ‘I had to stay the night.’
a dazed expression
(= one that shows you are unable to think clearly, especially because of a shock or accident )
• His clothes were torn and there was a dazed expression on his face.
a glazed expression
(= one that shows you are not concentrating on the things around you )
• From her glazed expression, he knew she had been taking drugs.
a smug expression
(= one that shows too much satisfaction with your own cleverness or success )
• Peter was wearing an unbearably smug expression and waving the tickets in front of me.
a bland expression
(= one that does not show any emotion )
• She searched his face for answers, but his bland expression gave nothing away.
verbs
have an expression
• His face had a puzzled expression.
wear an expression
• Their pilot wore an expression of extreme relief.
change your expression
• The child did not once cry or change her expression.
watch sb’s expression
• ‘Does it really matter?’ Elizabeth asked, watching his expression closely.
see sb’s expression
• I would have liked to see his expression when she told him.
read sb’s expression
(= understand how someone is feeling by looking at their expression )
• In the half light, Ellen could not read his expression.
phrases
have an expression on your face
• He had a very serious expression on his face.
the expression on sb’s face
• I could tell by the expression on her face that she was angry.
a lack of expression
• I was surprised at the lack of expression on his face.
be devoid of expression
formal (= have no expression on your face )
• His face was totally devoid of expression, but I could sense his anger.
an expression of surprise
(= one showing that you are surprised )
• He looked at me with an expression of surprise.
expression 3
adjectives
a common expression
• 'Pig out' is a common expression meaning 'to eat a lot'.
an old-fashioned/outdated expression
• The old-fashioned expression 'in the family way' means to be pregnant.
an idiomatic expression
(= an idiom )
• Try to avoid using idiomatic expressions in an essay.
a figurative expression
(= one in which words are not used with their literal meaning )
• Many figurative expressions equate anger with heat.
a coarse/vulgar expression
(= one that is rude )
• He came out with some vulgar expressions that I couldn’t possibly repeat.
an American/English etc expression
• She remembered the American expression her mother had always used: 'Life’s a breeze'.
phrases
pardon/forgive the expression
(= used when you have said a word or phrase that might offend someone )
• After the climb, we were absolutely knackered, if you’ll pardon the expression.
transnet.ir