Meaning of "phrase" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD PHRASE

From Latin phrasis, from Greek: speech, from phrazein to declare, tell.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF PHRASE

phrase  [freɪz]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF PHRASE

Phrase is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb phrase in English.

WHAT DOES PHRASE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Phrase

In everyday speech, a phrase may refer to any group of words. In linguistics, a phrase is a group of words that form a constituent and so function as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. A phrase is lower on the grammatical hierarchy than a clause.

Definition of phrase in the English dictionary

The first definition of phrase in the dictionary is a particular expression, esp an original one. Other definition of phrase is a small group of notes forming a coherent unit of melody. Phrase is also a short sequence of dance movements.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO PHRASE

PRESENT

Present

I phrase

you phrase

he/she/it phrases

we phrase

you phrase

they phrase

Present continuous

I am phrasing

you are phrasing

he/she/it is phrasing

we are phrasing

you are phrasing

they are phrasing

Present perfect

I have phrased

you have phrased

he/she/it has phrased

we have phrased

you have phrased

they have phrased

Present perfect continuous

I have been phrasing

you have been phrasing

he/she/it has been phrasing

we have been phrasing

you have been phrasing

they have been phrasing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I phrased

you phrased

he/she/it phrased

we phrased

you phrased

they phrased

Past continuous

I was phrasing

you were phrasing

he/she/it was phrasing

we were phrasing

you were phrasing

they were phrasing

Past perfect

I had phrased

you had phrased

he/she/it had phrased

we had phrased

you had phrased

they had phrased

Past perfect continuous

I had been phrasing

you had been phrasing

he/she/it had been phrasing

we had been phrasing

you had been phrasing

they had been phrasing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will phrase

you will phrase

he/she/it will phrase

we will phrase

you will phrase

they will phrase

Future continuous

I will be phrasing

you will be phrasing

he/she/it will be phrasing

we will be phrasing

you will be phrasing

they will be phrasing

Future perfect

I will have phrased

you will have phrased

he/she/it will have phrased

we will have phrased

you will have phrased

they will have phrased

Future perfect continuous

I will have been phrasing

you will have been phrasing

he/she/it will have been phrasing

we will have been phrasing

you will have been phrasing

they will have been phrasing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would phrase

you would phrase

he/she/it would phrase

we would phrase

you would phrase

they would phrase

Conditional continuous

I would be phrasing

you would be phrasing

he/she/it would be phrasing

we would be phrasing

you would be phrasing

they would be phrasing

Conditional perfect

I would have phrase

you would have phrase

he/she/it would have phrase

we would have phrase

you would have phrase

they would have phrase

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been phrasing

you would have been phrasing

he/she/it would have been phrasing

we would have been phrasing

you would have been phrasing

they would have been phrasing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you phrase
we let´s phrase
you phrase

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to phrase

Past participle

phrased

Present Participle

phrasing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «PHRASE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «phrase» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of phrase

adage · communicate · construction · convey · couch · dictum · express · expression · formulate · frame · idiom · locution · maxim · motto · present · put · put into words · quotation · remark · say · saying · tag · term · utter · utterance · voice · word

TRANSLATION OF PHRASE

Find out the translation of phrase to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of phrase from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «phrase» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 短语
• Translator English - Spanish: frase
• English: phrase
• Translator English - Hindi: वाक्यांश
• Translator English - Arabic: عِبَارَةٌ
• Translator English - Russian: фраза
• Translator English - Portuguese: frase
• Translator English - Bengali: ফ্রেজ
• Translator English - French: expression
• Translator English - Malay: Frasa
• Translator English - German: kurzer Satz
• Translator English - Japanese: 慣用句
• Translator English - Korean: 문구
• Translator English - Javanese: Tembung
• Translator English - Vietnamese: cụm từ
• Translator English - Tamil: சொற்றொடர்
• Translator English - Marathi: वाक्यांश
• Translator English - Turkish: ifade
• Translator English - Italian: frase
• Translator English - Polish: wyrażenie
• Translator English - Ukrainian: фраза
• Translator English - Romanian: frază
• Translator English - Greek: φράση
• Translator English - Afrikaans: uitdrukking
• Translator English - Swedish: fras
• Translator English - Norwegian: uttrykk

10 QUOTES WITH «PHRASE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word phrase.

1

John Abercrombie

Every time I listen back to solos of mine I'll hear something I like and then another phrase that I can't stand. You have to live with what you play. And the recording medium puts that on us. When I play live gigs I don't think so much like that.

2

Mikhail Bakunin

A jealous lover of human liberty, deeming it the absolute condition of all that we admire and respect in humanity, I reverse the phrase of Voltaire, and say that, if God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish him.

3

Joel A. Barker

When most of us hear the phrase, 'survival of the fittest,' we assume it originated with Charles Darwin. It did not. The phrase doesn't exist anywhere in Darwin's first edition of 'Origin of the Species.'

4

Melissa Bean

But in this Congress, accountability is just a catch phrase, usually directed elsewhere. Demands to personal responsibility or corporate accountability abound, but rarely congressional accountability or fiscal responsibility.

5

Samuel Beckett

All I know is what the words know, and dead things, and that makes a handsome little sum, with a beginning and a middle and an end, as in the well-built phrase and the long sonata of the dead.

6

John Berger

For the artist, drawing is discovery. And that is not just a slick phrase; it is quite literally true.

7

Sergey Brin

You always hear the phrase, money doesn't buy you happiness. But I always in the back of my mind figured a lot of money will buy you a little bit of happiness. But it's not really true. I got a new car because the old one's lease expired.

8

Charles D. Broad

When we say that Philosophy tries to clear up the meanings of concepts we do not mean that it is simply concerned to substitute some long phrase for some familiar word.

9

James Caan

My least favorite phrase in the English language is 'I don't care.'

10

Julia Cameron

For most people, creativity is a serious business. They forget the telling phrase 'the play of ideas' and think that they need to knuckle down and work more. Often, the reverse is true. They need to play.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «PHRASE»

Discover the use of phrase in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to phrase and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

The American Sign Language Phrase Book

This edition's new chapter on technology boasts 50 phrases to help you communicate about the Internet, computing, video relay, and more.

Barbara Bernstein Fant, Betty Miller, Lou Fant, 2008

Star Wars: Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide

A tool for space travelers in the "Star Wars" galaxy offers phrases in Huttese, Wookie-speak, and other alien tongues, along with an explanation of the development of the alien languages and excerpts from alien dialogue.

Ben Burtt, 2001

The Romance Writers' Phrase Book

Lists evocative phrases that can be used by novelists to describe people, body movements, facial expressions, voices, emotions, colors, thoughts, and memories

Jean Salter Kent, Candace Shelton, 1984

Performance Appraisal Phrase Book: The Best Words, Phrases, ...

Featuring concise sections on how to write the evaluation, handle tricky legal issues, and verbally discuss the evaluation, this book also includes a directory of thousands of words and phrases appropriate for any type of written evaluation ...

Corey Sandler, Janice Keefe, 2003

The Leader Phrase Book: 3000+ Powerful Phrases That Put You ...

Compiles phrases that can be used to properly convey respect and promote success in business, negotiation, or everyday life.

Patrick Alain, 2011

Easy Spanish Phrase Book: Over 770 Basic Phrases for ...

Contains more than 770 basic Spanish words, phrases, and sentences for travelers, grouped by category, and covering greetings, customs, tickets, transportation, dining, shopping money, and many other topics.

‎1994

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary

Presents key words and phrases to help travelers navigate through Italy and a bilingual dictionary.

Rick Steves, 2008

Berlitz Japanese phrase book & dictionary

Revisions continue on the world-renowned Phrase Book series that's been the companion for three generations of travelers. Berlitz Phrase Books go far beyond basic survival language skills.

‎1992

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

The answers to these and many more questions are in this fascinating book. Here in one volume you can track down the stories behind the names and sayings you meet, whether in classic literature or today's news.

Elizabeth Knowles, 2006

Noun Phrase in the Generative Perspective

Biographical note: Artemis Alexiadou, University of Stuttgart, Germany; Liliane Haegeman, Angellier-Université Lille/CNRS, France; Melita Stavrou, University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Artemis Alexiadou, Liliane M. V. Haegeman, Melita Stavrou, 2007

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «PHRASE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term phrase is used in the context of the following news items.

Phrase of week: It's cool to korero

Te Wiki o te Reo Maori (Maori Language Week) begins today and the theme for 2015 is Whangaihia te reo ki nga Matua - Nurture the ... «Wanganui Chronicle, Jul 15»

Nigh Inconceivably Stupid Would Be a Fair Phrase For Clinton's Tax …

The worst sectors of the worst recovery since World War II are business investment in new plants and equipment and new business start-ups. «New York Sun, Jul 15»

PATRICK BUCHANAN: Does the phrase 'a new Dark Age' describe …

PATRICK BUCHANAN: Does the phrase 'a new Dark Age' describe America's future? See it in Print. Saved. Save Article; My Saved Items. «Sioux City Journal, Jul 15»

The Phrase One Sheriff Added to All of His Patrol Cars Has Atheists …

The residents of Stone County, Missouri, can expect to see something new — but very familiar — every time they spot a police car: the phrase ... «IJ Review, Jul 15»

Rupert Murdoch's Times argues right to use 'Irish edition' phrase

Times Newspapers, Rupert Murdoch's London-based newspaper outfit, argues that it is legally entitled to use the phrase “The Times Irish ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»

Rahman Dahlan remembers phrase 'once bitten, twice shy'

PETALING JAYA: DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua has been undermining the government even before the 13th general election and ... «The Star Online, Jul 15»

The Spectrum – Part 3 – using the phrase `on the spectrum`

It is well known that autism is a spectrum. But what isn't talked about much is what a spectrum itself actually is, and why autism is referred to as ... «Autism Daily Newscast, Jul 15»

Baahubali makers to remove controversial phrase from Tamil version

The makers of the movie Baahubali are planning to remove the phrase ` pagadaikku piranthavan ' from the movie. Karky said that they never ... «The Hans India, Jul 15»

Phrase insulting to Irish

While some might consider the phrase to be benign, people from an Irish background do not share that feeling and find it not just offensive but ... «Toronto Star, Jul 15»

NSFW phrase in ACC football guide steals the show at media day

The root of the amusement? A profane three-word phrase on Page 145 of the guide that somehow made it through the editing process. «Syracuse.com, Jul 15»