Expression Collocations

from OXFORD Collocations | dictionary for students of English

expression noun
¹ 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.
² 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.
³ 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