express | meaning of express in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
Maths
,
Arts
,
Babies
express
ex‧press
1
/
ɪkˈspres
/
●●●
S2
W1
verb
[
transitive
]
1
feeling
SAY/STATE
to tell or show what you are feeling or thinking by using words, looks, or actions
express your views/opinions
Bill’s not afraid to express his opinions.
Parents have
expressed
their
concerns about
their children’s safety.
She
expressed
an
interest in
seeing York.
express something in/by/through something
Express your reasons for applying in simple terms.
express sympathy/fear/anger etc
She doesn’t express her emotions as much as he does.
express thanks/gratitude (for something) (to somebody)
(=
thank someone in a speech or by writing a letter
)
Finally, I’d like to express my sincere thanks to all those who have helped today.
express doubts/reservations
The USA expressed reservations before agreeing to sign the agreement.
Many people have
expressed
their
opposition to
the proposals.
express yourself
(=
say what you think or feel
)
Young children often have difficulty expressing themselves.
He first learnt to
express
himself
through
movement at his dance classes.
Words
can’t express
(=
it is impossible to describe
)
how angry we felt.
►
see
thesaurus
at
say
2
particular emotion
EXPRESS
to show or describe a particular feeling
Many of Munch’s paintings express a deep feeling of despair.
3
→
something expresses itself
4
mathematics
technical
HM
to change an amount or quantity into a different form, especially in mathematics
express something as/in something
Express three-quarters as a decimal.
The value of the coffee becomes significantly higher when expressed in foreign currency.
5
feeding babies
if a woman expresses milk , she presses milk out of her breast in order to feed it to her baby later
COLLOCATIONS
–
Meanings 1 & 2
nouns
express your views/opinions/ideas
Everyone who attends the meeting will be given the opportunity to express their opinions.
express your feelings
He felt unable to express his feelings in a letter.
express an interest in something
Many property developers have expressed an interest in buying the land.
express concern
(=
say or show that you are worried
)
Financial analysts have expressed concern about the possibility of a recession.
express your thanks/gratitude/appreciation
(=
say thank you to someone, in a speech
)
On behalf of the team, I’d like to express our appreciation for all your efforts.
express doubts/reservations
(=
say or show that you are not sure whether something is true or right
)
Environmentalists began to express doubts about the benefits of biofuels.
express surprise/shock
‘I don’t believe he could hurt anyone, ’ she said, expressing her surprise.
express anger
Teachers have expressed anger at the government’s education reforms.
express your grief
(=
say or show that you are very sad, especially because someone you love has died
)
She searched for further words to express her grief, but could find none.
express your sympathy
(=
say that you feel sorry for someone who is in a bad situation
)
I wrote to his widow expressing our sympathy and sending her our condolences.
express confidence
Throughout the trial, his legal team expressed confidence in the outcome.
express your hopes/desires
(=
say what you hope or want to happen
)
Nadia expressed her hopes about remaining in San Diego County with her two children.
express your support
(=
say that you support someone or something
)
The Israeli leader expressed his support for the U.S. plan.
express opposition to something
(=
say that you oppose someone or something
)
Local people have expressed their opposition to plans for a new airport.
express a willingness to do something
(=
say or show that you are willing to do something
)
The unions expressed a willingness to have talks with the employers.
adverbs
express something openly
(=
express a feeling in a way that is obvious to other people
)
They expressed their anger openly in the meeting.
express something clearly
(=
express an idea or opinion in a way that other people can understand
)
He expresses his views very clearly.
phrases
express yourself
(=
say what you think or feel
)
He is very confident and finds it easy to express himself.
a chance/opportunity to express something
The debate will give MPs an opportunity to express their views in detail.
words cannot express something
(=
it is impossible to describe something
)
Words can’t express how much I miss her.
