Word
paraphrase
Phoneticspara·phrase
US/ˈpɛɹəˌfɹeɪz/
UK/pˈæɹəfɹˌeɪz/
Definition
n. a way of saying or writing something using different words to make the meaning clearer. You use it to show you understand an idea without copying the original text exactly.
n. a restatement of a text or passage in another form or other words, often to clarify meaning. Frequently used in academic contexts to incorporate external ideas while maintaining a consistent authorial voice.
Examples
“The student wrote a short paraphrase of the poem.”
“The lawyer provided a clear paraphrase of the complex legal document for the jury.”
“While a direct quotation preserves the original author's exact phrasing, a well-executed paraphrase demonstrates a deeper synthesis of the underlying concepts within the researcher's own narrative framework.”
Examples
simple
“The student wrote a short paraphrase of the poem.”
contextual
“The lawyer provided a clear paraphrase of the complex legal document for the jury.”
complex
“While a direct quotation preserves the original author's exact phrasing, a well-executed paraphrase demonstrates a deeper synthesis of the underlying concepts within the researcher's own narrative framework.”
Usage
Countable when referring to a specific restatement; uncountable when referring to the general practice of restating text.
Real-World Examples
“Paraphrasing the movie Field of Dreams, Katzeff says, "We built them, they came.” Etymology
From Middle French paraphrase.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/paraphrase