parse

1 of 2

verb

ˈpärs 

 chiefly British  ˈpärz

parsed; parsing

transitive verb

1

a

: to divide (a sentence) into grammatical parts and identify the parts and their relations to each other

b

: to describe (a word) grammatically by stating the part of speech and explaining the inflection (see inflection sense 2a) and syntactical relationships

2

: to examine in a minute way : analyze critically

having trouble parsing … explanations for dwindling market shares

—R. S. Anson

intransitive verb

1

: to give a grammatical description of a word or a group of words

2

: to admit of being parsed

parse

2 of 2

noun

: a product or an instance of parsing

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

Verb

Students were asked to parse the sentence.

Economists parsed the census data.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Wall Street will also parse the September Consumer Price Index report and wholesale inflation figures due later this week. —Krystal Hur, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024

On Wednesday, investors will parse minutes from September’s central bank gathering for insights into the future path of monetary policy. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2024

Gathered across five tables on a recent weeknight, around 20 of her fellow project delegates had parsed through hundreds of ideas submitted by the public that could potentially receive a share of $1 million earmarked by the city to benefit their neighborhoods in west Denver. —Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, The Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2024

Earlier today, the first batch of submissions for the 2025 Grammy Awards opened to the voting members of the Recording Academy, who will parse through the nearly 100 categories to whittle down the contenders. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Latin pars orationis part of speech

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1963, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

parse

verb

ˈpärs,

ˈpärz

parsed; parsing

1

: to analyze a sentence by naming its parts and their relations to each other

2

: to give the part of speech of a word and explain its relation to other words in a sentence