rephrase

verb

re·​phrase (ˌ)rē-ˈfrāz 

rephrased; rephrasing

transitive verb

: to phrase or express (something) in a different way especially to make the meaning clearer

Let me rephrase the question.

… spoke first in precise medical terms, then quickly rephrased them in laymen's language.

—George J. Church and Evan Thomas

Synonyms

• translate
• summarize

Examples of rephrase in a Sentence

I don't understand what you're asking—could you rephrase your question?

Recent Examples on the Web

By offloading tasks like contextual rephrasing to a lightweight LLM, teams preserved conversational quality while cutting unnecessary overhead. —Alan Nichol, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

To rephrase the Duchampian and Warholian question: Can one manifestly force the work of art and the work of the commodity into a final congruence by abolishing authorial identity and interference altogether? —Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025

Petrone has sometimes agreed, telling prosecutors to rephrase their question. —Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025

To rephrase that, what we’ve been shown is a little bit of a charade. —Callum Booth, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rephrase

• ablaze
• airways
• allays
• always
• amaze
• anglaise
• appraise
• archways
• arrays
• ashtrays
• assays
• ballets