phrase noun

\ ˈfrāz  \
Definition of phrase
 (Entry 1 of 2)
1: a characteristic manner or style of expression : DICTION
2a: a brief expressionespecially : CATCHPHRASE
b: WORD
3: a short musical thought typically two to four measures long closing with a cadence
4: a word or group of words forming a syntactic constituent with a single grammatical
functionan adverbial phrase
5: a series of dance movements comprising a section of a pattern

Phrase verb
phrased; phrasing
Definition of phrase (Entry 2 of 2)
transitive verb
1a: to express in words or in appropriate or telling terms
b: to designate by a descriptive word or phrase
2: to divide into melodic phrases

Synonyms for phrase
Synonyms: Noun
expression,  idiom
Synonyms: Verb
articulate ,  clothe,  couch,  express,  formulate ,  put,  say,  state,  word

Examples of phrase in a Sentence

Noun
 Answer the questions in complete sentences, not phrases. She used the phrase “I strongly
believe” too many times in her speech.
 Underline the key words or phrases in the paragraph. To borrow a phrase from my mother, I
spend too much time “watching the boob tube” and not enough time outside.
Verb
 He phrased his version of the story in a way that made him look good. The question was
awkwardly phrased. The singer phrased the music beautifully.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The phrase  was coined by social researcher Mark McCrindle, founder of marketing and trend
forecasting firm, McCrindle.— Wired, "Marketers Wanted a New Generation to Target,
Hence Alphas," 17 Sep. 2019But interviews with voters and research by health policy experts
show that the average voter has little idea of what is meant by the phrase  that has already
become a campaign signpost.— Akilah Johnson, ProPublica , "Medicare-for-All Is Not
Medicare, and Not Really for All. So What Does It Actually Mean?," 6 Sep. 2019
The mental health warning phone case comes from Urban Sophistication, a four-year-old
brand that specializes in clothes and accessories featuring self-referential, ironic branding
and phrases.— Ashley Carman,  The Verge, "Models like Gigi Hadid are sending a mental
health message through their phone cases," 20 Aug. 2019Never short of a word or two,
Ferguson is believed to have used this phrase  for the first time publicly in 2003 as his side
battled with Arsenal for the Premier League title.— SI.com, "10 Iconic Football Catchphrases
That Could Be Trademarked," 31 July 2019 And, throughout the 1970s and 1980s,
the phrase  balance of nature largely disappeared from the scientific lexicon.— Keith
Ladzinski, National Geographic , "The ‘balance of nature’ is an enduring concept. But it’s
wrong.," 26 July 2019However, other candidates have used the phrase  Medicare for All while
embracing something different than what Sanders is proposing.— Sarah Ewall-wice, CBS
News, "Where all the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates stand on health care," 25 July
2019Words and phrases  are passed from character to character, and instead of moving
forward in time, the book circles like an airplane (one of its recurrent images).— Christine
Smallwood, Harper's magazine , "Novel, Essay, Poem," 16 Sep. 2019Her trademark phrase,
which means embracing your true self, became a viral sensation.— Houston Chronicle , "The
Must List: Megan Thee Stallion, Mark Knopfler, Zine Fest Houston," 5 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Despite the heft of his timbre, Burna’s phrasing  always feels fleet, creating a sound that’s
incredibly dense and impossibly dainty.— Chris Richards, Washington Post, "Burna Boy is an
‘African Giant’ with a sound that defies geography," 6 Sep. 2019 In 2016, Trump supporters
waved similarly phrased  Make America Great Again hats.— James
Pindell, BostonGlobe.com , "How Ross Perot paved the way for Donald Trump," 9 July
2019Yi phrased  lyrical passages well and showed remarkable poise.— Tim Diovanni, Dallas
News, "Clarinet trio shines in opening concert at Dallas’ Basically Beethoven Festival," 12
July 2019The question was hypothetical, the answer phrased  to emphasize it as such.
— Robert O'connell,  The Atlantic , "Anthony Davis and LeBron James Are Uniquely Suited to
Win," 17 June 2019The board went back and forth on how to phrase  its policy.— Emma Kate
Fittes, Indianapolis Star , "'We will do better': Acting HSE board president apologizes after
controversial comments," 13 June 2019Effectively, that means he was fired, but the
administration didn’t quite want to phrase  it that way.— Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "Read
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s resignation letter," 7 Nov. 2018But now this needs to
be phrased  as a question, rather than a certainty that such voters would never support him.
— Joseph C. Sternberg,  WSJ, "How an Accident Could Happen in Britain," 27 Sep.
2018Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul who understood vocal harmony
and phrasing  perhaps better than any of her female pop and soul contemporaries, died
Thursday.— Marc Myers, WSJ, "Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, Dies," 16 Aug. 2018
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to
reflect current usage of the word 'phrase.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent
the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of phrase

Noun
1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
History and Etymology for phrase
Noun
Latin phrasis, from Greek, from phrazein to point out, explain, tell