4 N‑COUNT An expression is a word or phrase. □ She spoke in a quiet voice but used remarkably coarse expressions. SYNONYMS expression NOUN
2
look: Sally spun round, a feigned look of surprise on her face.
face: He was walking around with a sad face.
air: Jennifer regarded him with an air of amusement.
4
phrase: He used a phrase I hate: 'You have to be cruel to be kind.'
saying: We also realize the truth of that old saying: Charity begins at home.
term: Myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack.
idiom: Proverbs and idioms may become worn with over-use.
proverb: An old proverb says, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'.
ex|pres|sion|ism / I kspre ʃən I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Expressionism is a style of art, literature, and music which uses symbols and exaggeration to represent emotions, rather than representing physical reality.
ex|pres|sion|ist / I kspre ʃən I st/ (expressionists )
1 N‑COUNT An expressionist is an artist, writer, or composer who uses the style of expressionism.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Expressionist artists, writers, composers, or works use the style of expressionism. □ …an extraordinary collection of expressionist paintings.
ex|pres|sion|less / I kspre ʃ ə nləs/ ADJ If you describe someone's face as expressionless , you mean that they are not showing their feelings.
ex|pres|sive / I kspre s I v/ ADJ If you describe a person or their behaviour as expressive , you mean that their behaviour clearly indicates their feelings or intentions. □ You can train people to be more expressive. □ …her small, usually expressive face. ● ex|pres|sive|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ He moved his hands expressively. ● ex|pres|sive|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ Crying is part of our natural expressiveness.
ex|press|way / I kspre swe I / (expressways ) N‑COUNT An expressway is a wide road that is specially designed so that a lot of traffic can move along it very quickly. It is usually divided, so that traffic travelling in one direction is separated from the traffic travelling in the opposite direction.
ex|pro|pri|ate /eksproʊ prie I t/ (expropriates , expropriating , expropriated ) VERB If a government or other authority expropriates someone's property, they take it away from them for public use. [LEGAL ] □ [V n] The Bolsheviks expropriated the property of the landowners. ● ex|pro|pria|tion /eksproʊ prie I ʃ ə n/ (expropriations ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] …the expropriation of property. □ Ownership is not clear because of expropriations in the Nazi era.
ex|pul|sion / I kspʌ lʃ ə n/ (expulsions )
1 N‑VAR Expulsion is when someone is forced to leave a school, university, or organization. □ [+ from ] Her hatred of authority led to her expulsion from high school. □ …the high number of school expulsions.
2 N‑VAR Expulsion is when someone is forced to leave a place. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …the expulsion of Yemeni workers. □ …a new wave of mass expulsions.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Expulsion is when something is forced out from your body. [FORMAL ] □ [+ from ] …their expulsion from the digestive tract.
ex|punge / I kspʌ ndʒ/ (expunges , expunging , expunged ) VERB If you expunge something, you get rid of it completely, because it causes problems or bad feelings. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The revolutionaries expunged domestic opposition. □ [V n + from ] The experience was something he had tried to expunge from his memory. □ [be V -ed + from ] His name was expunged from the record books.
ex|pur|gate /e kspə r ge I t/ (expurgates , expurgating , expurgated ) VERB If someone expurgates a piece of writing, they remove parts of it before it is published because they think those parts will offend or shock people. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] He heavily expurgated the work in its second edition. ● ex|pur|gat|ed ADJ □ It was first published in 1914 in a highly expurgated version.
ex|quis|ite / I kskw I z I t, e kskw I z I t/ ADJ Something that is exquisite is extremely beautiful or pleasant, especially in a delicate way. □ The Indians brought in exquisite beadwork to sell. □ Mr Zhang's photography is exquisite. ● ex|quis|ite|ly ADV [usu ADV adj/-ed] □ …exquisitely crafted dolls' houses.
e x-se rviceman (ex-servicemen ) N‑COUNT An ex-serviceman is a man who used to be in a country's army, navy, or air force. [BRIT ] in AM, use veteran
ext. N‑VAR Ext. is the written abbreviation for extension when it is used to refer to a particular phone number.
ex|tant /ekstæ nt, e kstənt/ ADJ If something is extant , it is still in existence, in spite of being very old. [FORMAL ] □ Two fourteenth-century manuscripts of this text are still extant. □ The oldest extant document is dated 1492.
ex|tem|po|rize / I kste mpəra I z/ (extemporizes , extemporizing , extemporized ) in BRIT, also use extemporise VERB If you extemporize , you speak, act, or perform something immediately, without rehearsing or preparing it beforehand. [FORMAL ] □ [V ] He completely departed from the text and extemporized in a very energetic fashion.
ex|tend ◆◆◇ / I kste nd/ (extends , extending , extended )