paraphrase

para·phrase | \ ˈper-ə-ˌfrāz

How to pronounce paraphrase (audio)

, ˈpa-rə-\

Definition of paraphrase

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

paraphrase

paraphrased; paraphrasing

Definition of paraphrase (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to make a paraphrase

transitive verb

: to make a paraphrase of

Other Words from paraphrase Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about paraphrase

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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.

Examples of paraphrase in a Sentence

Noun 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 Verb I'm paraphrasing, but he did say something like that. could you paraphrase your diagnosis of my medical condition, using simpler language?

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun To protect identities, here are some paraphrases from online posts: My doctor forced me to taper down opioid therapy below a level that had for years given me relief from pain and good quality of life for years. — STAT, "Stop persecuting doctors for legitimately prescribing opioids for chronic pain," 28 June 2019 Similarly, if their paraphrase is so at odds with what McCabe said, why aren't Democrats making a bigger deal out of it? — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "The simplest, most fundamental question about the Nunes memo still has no answer. Why?," 26 Feb. 2018 The memo's main substantiation of that claim was a contested paraphrase of testimony that top FBI official Andrew McCabe gave behind closed doors to the House Intelligence Committee — not even a direct quote. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "Trump’s increasingly desperate, tortured claims about the Russia probe," 19 May 2018 Democrats quickly claimed the paraphrase was wrong. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "The simplest, most fundamental question about the Nunes memo still has no answer. Why?," 26 Feb. 2018 Regularly, Ferry’s translation becomes a kind of paraphrase. — Denis Feeney, New York Times, "David Ferry Won the National Book Award in His 80s. In His 90s, He Has Translated Virgil.," 5 Dec. 2017 Mr. Bishop said, referring to Dr. King’s paraphrase of the 19th-century abolitionist and Unitarian minister Theodore Parker. — Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times, "Justice Department Weighs In Against Wells Fargo in a Whistle-Blower Suit," 6 June 2017 OK, that’s merely the paraphrase of Kelly’s comments to Sports Illustrated’s MMQB about the quarterback. — Daniel Mano, The Mercury News, "Chip Kelly: Kaepernick’s protest last season was ‘zero distraction’," 31 Mar. 2017 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. — Matthew Vines, Time, "A Beloved Former Pastor Retracted His Support of Same-Sex Marriage. It Will Harm LGBTQ People More Than He May Know," 14 July 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Gray paraphrases a quote from the artist, about art and age's ability to distill the vast scope of life with simple expressions, steering himself back on course. — Thomas Page, CNN, "James Gray on 'Ad Astra,' little green men and firing Brad Pitt into space," 16 Sep. 2019 This constant buffeting by random forces is vividly illustrated by this delightful excerpt, paraphrased from a much longer 1964 children’s story called Fortunately by Remy Charlip, that anchors our first puzzle problem. — Quanta Magazine, "When Probability Meets Real Life," 8 Feb. 2018 But of course paraphrases remove the satirical context, so any such survey is therefore useless. — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "Ben Penn’s Bad-Faith Hit Job on Leif Olson," 3 Sep. 2019 To paraphrase the sad old King Osric in Conan the Barbarian? — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "Kevin Smith Opens Up About Reuniting with Ben Affleck for Upcoming Film After Fallout," 20 July 2019 Desai said, paraphrasing an idea first put forth by the biologist Stephen Jay Gould in the 1980s. — Quanta Magazine, "Evolution’s Random Paths Lead to One Place," 11 Sep. 2014 To paraphrase This is Spinal Tap, the noise will likely be turned up to 11 around the holidays and into next year. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "A look behind the scenes at the Union-Tribune’s report on the race to 5G," 23 Aug. 2019 Alas, to paraphrase Gilbert and Sullivan, a literary critic’s lot is not a happy one. — Michael Dirda, National Review, "The Exhilarating Letters of Guy Davenport and Hugh Kenner," 25 July 2019 Readers were very taken, for instance, with Blinkist’s paraphrased definition of empathetic listening, from its summary of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. — Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "The most highlighter-worthy ideas from popular business books, according to time-pressed readers," 24 July 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near paraphrase

Statistics for paraphrase

Time Traveler for paraphrase

The first known use of paraphrase was in 1548

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More Definitions for paraphrase

paraphrase

noun

English Language Learners Definition of paraphrase

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a statement that says something that another person has said or written in a different way

paraphrase

verb

English Language Learners Definition of paraphrase (Entry 2 of 2)

: to say (something that someone else has said or written) using different words

See the full definition for paraphrase in the English Language Learners Dictionary

paraphrase

para·phrase | \ ˈper-ə-ˌfrāz

\

paraphrased; paraphrasing

Kids Definition of paraphrase

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to give the meaning of in different words

paraphrase

Kids Definition of paraphrase (Entry 2 of 2)

: a way of stating something again by giving the meaning in different words

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