INDEX:
1. to express what you think or feel
2. expressing your ideas clearly and well
3. not good at expressing your ideas clearly
4. when it is difficult to express ideas or feelings in words
RELATED WORDS
stop people from expressing their opinions : ↑ STOP
see also
↑ SHOW
↑ FEEL
↑ SAY
↑ TELL
↑ EXPLAIN
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1. to express what you think or feel
▷ express /ɪkˈspres/ [transitive verb]
to let someone know what you are thinking or feeling, by using words, by your behaviour or the look on your face, or through art, music, films etc :
▪ Many of his films express the fears and anxieties of the post-war years.
express concern/satisfaction/annoyance/sympathy etc
▪ Parents have expressed concern about the amount of violence in some children’s shows.
express your feelings
▪ My grandfather found it hard to express his feelings about the war.
express something by/through something
▪ It is the story of a middle-aged businessman, who starts going to tango lessons, and learns to express himself through dance.
▪ Workers traditionally express their discontent by going on strike.
expression /ɪkˈspreʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
▪ His poems were a desperate expression of his loneliness and isolation.
▷ convey /kənˈveɪ/ [transitive verb]
to express something about what you or other people are feeling or thinking, especially without stating it directly, but using touch, the sound of your voice, the way something looks etc :
▪ His tone conveyed an unmistakable warning.
▪ I tried to convey my sympathy by touching her hand.
▪ His office conveyed an impression of efficiency and seriousness.
▷ communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt, kəˈmjuːnəkeɪt/ [transitive verb]
to manage to express what you think or feel with words, movements, or by the way you behave :
▪ Andrea smiled at Jamie, communicating her affection for him with her eyes.
communicate something to somebody
▪ She tried to communicate her fears to her mother.
▪ You can communicate your mood to your baby without realising it.
▷ say /seɪ/ [transitive verb]
if someone’s behaviour, appearance, or something they produce says something, it expresses their feelings, attitudes etc :
▪ This painting says so much in such a simple way.
▪ What do you think the writer is saying in this passage?
say it all
to explain something in a very short form
▪ One look said it all -- Richard knew that Sally wouldn’t marry him.
▪ When Joshua walked across the room for the first time, the smile on his face said it all.
say a lot about
express something very clearly
▪ The fact she didn’t invite her mother to her wedding says a lot about their relationship.
▷ get something over British /get something across American /ˌget something ˈəʊvəʳ, ˌget something əˈkrɒsǁ-əˈkrɔːs/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to express an idea or feeling to someone, especially something that is difficult to explain, so that they can understand :
▪ I always try to get this idea over to my students.
get something over to somebody
▪ Gina felt trapped and insecure but found it difficult to get this over to her husband.
▷ put something into words/find the words to say /ˌpʊt something ɪntə ˈwɜːʳdz, ˌfaɪnd ðə ˌwɜːʳdz tə ˈseɪ/ [verb phrase]
to express your feelings or ideas clearly in words, especially when this is very difficult to do, and you have to try very hard to think of the right words :
▪ She tried to put these feelings into words, but it all came out wrong.
▪ He could not find the words to say that he was leaving.
2. expressing your ideas clearly and well
▷ communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt, kəˈmjuːnəkeɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make your feelings or thoughts clear to others, especially by talking or writing about them :
▪ The course is designed to enable people to communicate effectively in speech and writing.
▪ She’s clever, but she can’t communicate her ideas.
communicate with
▪ Many parents find it difficult to communicate with their teenage sons or daughters.
communication /kəˌmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃ ə n, kəˌmjuːnəˈkeɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Lack of communication, not lack of caring, often causes marriages to break up.
▷ express yourself /ɪkˈspres jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
to make your feelings or thoughts about something known clearly, so that other people are able to understand :
▪ The children were encouraged to express themselves freely and openly.
express yourself in
▪ Payne also expresses himself in poetry, which he began writing in college.
express yourself in words/writing
▪ I find it hard to express myself in writing.
▷ articulate /ɑːʳˈtɪkjɑlɪt, ɑːʳˈtɪkjɑlət/ [adjective]
able to talk or write easily and effectively about what you think and feel :
▪ He is handsome, confident and articulate, like many of the students at this college.
▪ You have to be articulate to be good at debating.
▷ eloquent /ˈeləkwənt/ [adjective]
expressing ideas and feelings in very clear, beautiful language, especially in a way that persuades people to agree with you, or fully understand what you are saying :
▪ She was an eloquent speaker, able to move and inspire audiences.
▪ The poem is full of eloquent phrases about the beauty of nature.
▪ Few will forget his eloquent defence of individual freedom.
eloquently [adverb]
▪ Stein eloquently describes the pain of losing someone you love.
eloquence [uncountable noun]
▪ Despite his charm and eloquence, there was something about him that made him unpopular.
▷ expressive /ɪkˈspresɪv/ [adjective]
showing very clearly what a person thinks or feels :
expressive eyes/face/eyebrows/features/voice/hands etc
▪ She is a wonderful actress, with striking, expressive features.
▪ He had a quiet but expressive voice.
expressively [adverb]
▪ She had tiny hands which she waved around expressively when she spoke.
▷ project yourself /prəˈdʒekt jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
to express what you think or feel in a confident way that other people admire :
▪ Sam projects himself well -- he should stand a good chance in the interview.
▪ Your problem is presentation -- you don’t project yourself very well.
3. not good at expressing your ideas clearly
▷ inarticulate /ˌɪnɑːʳˈtɪkjɑlɪt, ˌɪnɑːʳˈtɪkjɑlət/ [adjective]
unable to express what you are feeling or thinking because you cannot think of the right, or best, words to use :
▪ Maisie had always thought of herself as being uneducated and inarticulate, and was surprised that anyone should ask her opinion.
▪ Footballers are famous for being inarticulate when they are interviewed on TV, and Danny Lord was no exception.
▷ be at a loss/be lost for words /biː ət ə ˈlɒsǁ-ˈlɔːs, biː ˌlɒst fəʳ ˈwɜːʳdzǁ-ˌlɔːst-/ [verb phrase]
to be unable to express yourself clearly or properly, especially because you are nervous, upset, or embarrassed :
▪ Jenna looked around the room, completely at a loss.
▪ Howard was so shocked that he was lost for words.
be at a loss for words
▪ Mrs Miller seemed at a loss for words. She sank down into a chair and took off her hat.
be at a loss to explain
▪ I was at a loss to explain my sudden fit of rage.
4. when it is difficult to express ideas or feelings in words
▷ can’t express /ˌkɑːnt ɪkˈspresǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase]
▪ She couldn’t express how happy and relieved she was.
▪ I cannot express my gratitude for your kindness.
words can’t express
▪ Words can’t express the terrible grief I felt on losing my daughter.
▷ be difficult/hard to describe /biː ˌdɪfɪk ə lt, ˌhɑːʳd tə dɪˈskraɪb/ [verb phrase]
to be difficult to express what a feeling, experience, taste etc is like in words :
▪ The atmosphere of tension and nervousness here is hard to describe.
▪ The sound the bird makes is difficult to describe -- it’s a bit like scissors opening and closing rapidly.
▷ indescribable /ˌɪndɪsˈkraɪbəb ə l/ [adjective]
if emotions, situations etc are indescribable, they are so terrible, so good, or so strange that you cannot describe them properly :
▪ The chaos and confusion was indescribable.
indescribable joy/peace/horror/sadness etc
▪ I woke up on the day after my wedding with a feeling of indescribable joy.
indescribably [adverb]
▪ A long, low moan, indescribably sad, swept over the moor.
▷ inexpressible /ˌɪnɪkˈspresɪb ə l◂, ˌɪnɪkˈspresəb ə l◂/ [adjective] formal
an inexpressible emotion is one that is too strong to be described in words :
▪ Looking up into his concerned brown eyes, I had felt an inexpressible sense of relief.
inexpressible anger/gratitude/joy/longing etc
▪ And then, to her almost inexpressible joy, she saw the familiar tall, broad-shouldered figure across the station.