phrase
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.a small group of words that people often use together to express an idea.
n.a brief sequence of words that forms a common expression or idiom.
Simple“He used a common phrase to explain why he was late for work.”
In context“The speaker peppered her presentation with catchy phrases designed to resonate with the younger demographic in the audience.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a group of words that works as a single part of a sentence.
n.a syntactic unit consisting of a head and its modifiers, functioning as a single constituent within a sentence.
Simple“In the sentence 'the big dog', the words form a noun phrase.”
In context“The student struggled to identify the prepositional phrase within the complex sentence structure of the legal document.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a short part of a tune or a piece of music.
n.a sequence of notes that forms a distinct melodic unit, often compared to a sentence in speech.
Simple“The flute plays a beautiful, slow phrase at the start of the song.”
In context“The conductor asked the violins to play the opening phrase with more legato to emphasize the lyrical quality of the movement.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to say or write something using specific words.
v.to express a thought or idea through a particular choice of wording.
Simple“I need to be careful how I phrase this email so I don't sound rude.”
In context“The diplomat took great care to phrase the rejection in a way that left room for future negotiations.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
v.to play or sing a part of a song in a particular style.
v.to execute a musical passage with regard to the grouping of notes and the use of emphasis.
Simple“The singer learned how to phrase the lyrics to make them sound more emotional.”
In context“The pianist's ability to phrase the complex Bach fugue with such clarity earned her a standing ovation from the critics.”
Synonyms
From Late Latin phrasis (“diction”), from Ancient Greek φράσις (phrásis, “manner of expression”), from φράζω (phrázō, “to tell, express”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.