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to phrase

to phrase

7 5.4
To group words or notes so they sound natural
  • verb
  • /freɪz/
  • Specialized
: frasear
  • Frequently, courts have overlooked the question altogether, phrasing the test so abstractly that it ignores the possibility that people's perception of conscience may differ.

And, you know, I came to know these things thanks to Robin Ford because I was analyzing some of his lines and he's so good at phrasing and all this kind of stuff.

Examples

  • Students should practice looping each individual measure, getting a feel for each way of phrasing the same rhythm.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Never forget that how you say things and how you phrase your message carry more weight than you think.

    Blog text (16)
  • I think when you phrase it that way, it makes me think differently about the concept of rituals.

  • I mean, did we ever get past the chess problem, as you phrased it?

  • If a composition employs multiple drums, will the student know how to phrase properly?

    Academic text (1993)
  • It's not a new argument, of course, just a freshly phrased one.

    Blog text (16)
  • The question that poses itself for me could be phrased as: 'What happens after all this sensitisation?'

    Blog text (8)
  • Russert might have phrased the question poorly, but the essence is still true.

    Blog text (2)
  • And, you know, I came to know these things thanks to Robin Ford because I was analyzing some of his lines and he's so good at phrasing and all this kind of stuff.

  • Teachers often encourage students to phrase their thoughts clearly so that everyone understands.

Idioms

to turn a phrase
  • Informal
2 6.8

Say something in a clever, attractive way

Compounds

A clever way of saying something that people remember

2 1.8

A small book with common foreign phrases and translations for travelers

1 3.5

A short famous saying people often repeat about a person or show

musical phrase
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A short group of notes that sounds complete in a piece of music

melodic phrase
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A short group of notes that sounds like one musical idea

1 4.2

A group of words that acts like a noun in a sentence, for example the black cat

1 3.3

A common saying used so often it sounds tired

Konglish phrase
  • Informal
9.9

A mix of Korean and English words used informally by Korean speakers

nominal phrase
  • Specialized
7.3

A group of words with a noun as the main word acting as subject or object

pronominal phrase
  • Specialized
9.0

A group of words used instead of a noun or name

phrase structure
  • Specialized
6.0

The order and grouping of words in a sentence that make parts like the subject and verb

prepositional phrase
  • Specialized
3.4

A group of words that starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun like 'on the chair'

A phrase that sounds like a bad translation and feels unnatural

set phrase
  • Specialized
5.7

A fixed group of words that mean something different from the words alone

A group of words that shows an action and the words that go with it

How Long

monologue
124 4.8
speech
  • Literature
42 3.9
actor's line
1 3.5
to phrase
  • Specialized
7 5.4
word
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

phrase infinitive
phrased past
phrased past participle
phrasing present participle
phrases third person singular

Etymology

Phrase comes from the Greek phrazein, meaning 'to tell', so to phrase a sentence or melody is to divide and shape it into clear 'ways of saying' that flow well.