Expression
Expression noun - A pronounceable series of letters having a distinct meaning especially in a particular field.
Usage example: the expression “John Doe” is used in legal proceedings to refer to a person whose actual name is either unknown or being withheld from the public
Phrase is a synonym for expression in idiom topic. In some cases you can use "Phrase" instead a noun "Expression", when it comes to topics like speech, language, words, verbalization. popular alternative
Phrase
Phrase noun - A sequence of words having a specific meaning.
Usage example: kids drawing literal representations of the phrase “to rain cats and dogs”
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Synonyms for Phrase
Expression is a synonym for phrase in speech topic. You can use "Expression" instead a noun "Phrase", if it concerns topics such as idiom, words, group of words. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| full | full expression | full phrase |
| exact | exact expression | exact phrase |
| equivalent | equivalent expression | equivalent phrase |
| similar | similar expression | similar phrase |
| Other adjectives: normal, usual, common, appropriate, standard, single, simple, popular, actual, real, little, famous, bizarre, last, different, idiomatic, favorite. | ||
Both words in one sentence
- Or when the expression and phrase don't quite match the situation.
Source: Emotionless Girl - Zits has Mom convey an expression that says this phrase without using words to react to Jeremy's antics.
Source: What Were You Thinking? - The phrase "Great Caesar's Ghost" was actually a common expression around the start of the 20th Century.
Source: Catch Phrase / Live-Action TV
Cite this Source
Phrase and Expression. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/expression/phrase
Expression & Phrase. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/expression/phrase>.
Phrase or Expression. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/expression/phrase.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "expression" and "phrase" have occurred on timeline