Definition of paraphrase
1 : a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form The teacher asked the students to write a paraphrase of the poem.
2 : the use or process of paraphrasing in studying or teaching composition paraphrase, which aims rather at recapturing the general impression of a foreign work — Times Literary Supplement
From the M-W Editors
Examples of paraphrase in a Sentence
This is just a paraphrase of what he said, not an exact quote.
your essays on human rights should have some original thought and not be simply a paraphrase of what's in the textbook
Recent Examples of paraphrase from the Web
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That is author and retired pastor Eugene Peterson’s rendering of Matthew 5:37 in The Message, his popular paraphrase of the Bible that’s sold millions of copies and endeared him to Christians across the theological spectrum.
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Safranski’s book (a best seller in Germany) is aimed squarely at a German readership of Bildungsbürger, educated and tolerant of abstractions and paraphrases.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paraphrase.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
When we paraphrase, we provide a version that can exist beside the original (rather than replace it). We paraphrase all the time. When you tell a friend what someone else has said, you're almost always paraphrasing, since you're not repeating the exact words. If you go to hear a talk, you might paraphrase the speaker's main points afterward for your friends. And when writing a paper on a short story, you might start off your essay with a paraphrase of the plot. Paraphrasing is especially useful when dealing with poetry, since poetic language is often difficult and poems may have meanings that are hard to pin down.
Origin and Etymology of paraphrase
Middle French, from Latin paraphrasis, from Greek, from paraphrazein to paraphrase, from para- + phrazein to point out
paraphrase
Definition of paraphrase
paraphrased
;paraphrasing
intransitive verb
: to make a paraphrase
transitive verb
: to make a paraphrase of
paraphraser
nounExamples of paraphrase in a Sentence
I'm paraphrasing, but he did say something like that.
could you paraphrase your diagnosis of my medical condition, using simpler language?
Recent Examples of paraphrase from the Web
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Had the former FBI director merely paraphrased the key memos to friends or reporters, there would be little question as to the legality of his actions.
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Sure enough, to paraphrase Twain, the copy resembled the original as a lightning bug resembles lightning.
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To paraphrase Tolstoy, all dysfunctional companies are dysfunctional in their own way.
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My mom used to say, paraphrasing Edna St. Vincent Millay, ‘
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To paraphrase a wise, fictional man: Innovation is a flat circle.
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But the new paradigm transcends playing styles, gets to the core of the cap, the ability, to paraphrase a previous rendition of LeBron, or how to get not one, not two, not three ... but perhaps as many as four elite-level talents on the same team.
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To paraphrase the philosopher Harry Frankfurt, the liar knows the truth and leads others away from it; the bullshitter either doesn’t know the truth or doesn’t care about it, and is most interested in showing off his or her advantages. •
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To paraphrase those 1980s E.F. Hutton commercials, when Nick Saban talks, people listen.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paraphrase.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of paraphrase
see 1paraphrase
PARAPHRASE Defined for English Language Learners
paraphrase
playDefinition of paraphrase for English Language Learners
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: a statement that says something that another person has said or written in a different way
paraphrase
Definition of paraphrase for English Language Learners
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: to say (something that someone else has said or written) using different words
PARAPHRASE Defined for Kids
Definition of paraphrase for Students
paraphrased
;paraphrasing
: to give the meaning of in different words
Definition of paraphrase for Students
: a way of stating something again by giving the meaning in different words
Learn More about paraphrase
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See words that rhyme with paraphrase Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for paraphrase Spanish Central: Translation of paraphrase Nglish: Translation of paraphrase for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of paraphrase for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about paraphrase
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