Robert S. Anson
Did you know?
If parse brings up memories of learning the parts of speech in school, you've done your homework regarding this word. Parsing sentences, after all, is part and parcel of learning to read and write. Parse comes from the first element of the Latin term for "part of speech," pars orationis. It's an old word that has been used since at least the mid 1500s, but it was not until the late 1700s that parse graduated to its extended, non-grammar-related sense of "to examine in a minute way" or "to analyze critically." Remember this extended sense, and you'll really be at the head of the class.
Examples of parse in a Sentence
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Whether the missing ingredient was money, source material, or bold creative swings is difficult to parse; what’s obvious is that too little concept has been stretched too far.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
Similar to the end of Season 3, there are some clues for people to parse.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Jan. 2026
By contrast, Rieder has spent his career as a hands-on, daily participant in the global bond markets, as a trader and asset manager, expert at parsing and profiting from the central bank’s cues.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for parse
Cite this Entry
“Parse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parse. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
Copy Citation
