Whether it’s the look on someone’s face, a powerful phrase, or a sheet you just printed—Germans call it an Ausdruck. It’s a word for things that are expressed, visibly or verbally.
The noun Ausdruck means expression or printout, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll see it in language lessons, emotional contexts, paperwork, and art.
It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Ausdruck.
Pronunciation
Ausdruck is pronounced [OWS-drook].
- The “Aus” rhymes with “house,”
- The “druck” sounds like “brook” with a strong k,
- Stress is on the first syllable: AUS-druck.
It’s a solid, purposeful word—perfect for something you're putting out there.
Example sentences:
- Dieser Gesichtsausdruck sagt mehr als tausend Worte.
That facial expression says more than a thousand words. - Kannst du mir bitte einen Ausdruck davon machen?
Can you print me a copy of that?
Nuance and usage tips
Ausdruck has two major meanings:
- Expression (emotional, verbal, or artistic)
- sprachlicher Ausdruck – linguistic expression
- Gefühlsausdruck – expression of emotion
- Ausdrucksmittel – means of expression
- Printed copy / printout
- einen Ausdruck machen – to print something
- Papierausdruck – paper printout
- digitaler Ausdruck – digital printout (PDF or similar)
It can also be metaphorical:
Ein Ausdruck von Liebe / Mut / Respekt
“An expression of love / courage / respect”
Its antonym depends on usage:
- For expression: Unterdrückung (suppression, feminine)
- For printout: there’s no real opposite, but Löschen (deletion) might apply
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:
Der Ausdruck war schwer zu verstehen.
The expression was hard to understand. - Accusative:
Ich brauche den Ausdruck bis morgen.
I need the printout by tomorrow. - Dative:
Mit diesem Ausdruck kannst du viel sagen.
With this expression, you can say a lot. - Genitive:
Wegen des Ausdrucks gab es Missverständnisse.
Because of the expression, there were misunderstandings.
Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- ausdrücken – to express / to print out (yes, both!)
- Ausdruckskraft – expressive power
- Ausdrucksweise – way of expressing oneself
- Gesichtsausdruck – facial expression
- Drucker – printer (the machine)
Fun linguistic note:
German makes fine distinctions between types of expression. For example:
- Ausdruck – general term for an expression (word, emotion, look)
- Redewendung – idiom
- Formulierung – wording
And yes, if you want to print something, you might say:
“Ich mach dir schnell einen Ausdruck.”
“I’ll print you a copy real quick.”
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Ausdruck
🎥 Learn Ausdruck and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/
Alternate translations note:
For facial expressions, Gesichtsausdruck is more specific. For ways of speaking, Formulierung or Ausdrucksweise may apply. But for any kind of outward expression—be it emotional, artistic, or a literal print—Ausdruck is the word you need.
Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Bedingung means? How about Bedrohung? Find out!