Times Literary Supplement
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.
Synonyms
Examples of paraphrase in a Sentence
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
And while that may be a rather poor paraphrase, the sentiment still sticks for why both fostering and adopting is so important to saving the lives of homeless pets.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 21 July 2023
But that was only a paraphrase of his own primer for audiences.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 8 July 2023
So, has the internet replaced television to become, in a paraphrase of media theorist Marshall McLuhan, the medium and the message?
—Stephen Pastis, Fortune, 6 July 2023
This is reputedly a paraphrase of an assertion of Genghis Khan.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2011
These lyrics do a lot of work, work that transcends paraphrase.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2022
This is not an unfair paraphrase.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2011
That was a paraphrase by me, but very close.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Feb. 2023
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2023
To paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, the stupidity is the message.
—Gyasi Hall, Longreads, 12 Sep. 2023
Pop radio regarded him as, to paraphrase Elvis Costello, even less than zero.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
To paraphrase my generation’s poet laureate, August really did slip away into a moment in time.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 24 Aug. 2023
To paraphrase another famous poet: Sincerity, thy name is J.Lo.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 17 Aug. 2023
To paraphrase Shakespeare, love is not love which bends with the tow-truck driver to remove; with a Lotus, periodic interruption of service is worth the way the cars get under your skin.
—Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 13 Aug. 2023
This unauthorized biography, forced to paraphrase many of Wilson’s letters, early plays and poetry, may not offer the kind of detailed critical readings found in other monumental biographies — James Knowlson on Samuel Beckett, Michael Meyer on Henrik Ibsen, Michael Holroyd on George Bernard Shaw.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2023
To paraphrase The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer, the last seven years have produced a single big meta-scandal.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 20 June 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paraphrase.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun and Verb
Middle French, from Latin paraphrasis, from Greek, from paraphrazein to paraphrase, from para- + phrazein to point out
Noun
1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near paraphrase
Cite this Entry
“Paraphrase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paraphrase. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
paraphrase
1 of 2 noun
paraphrase
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on paraphrase
Nglish: Translation of paraphrase for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of paraphrase for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about paraphrase
Share