as in idiom
a sequence of words having a specific meaning
kids drawing literal representations of the phrase "to rain cats and dogs"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to say
to convey in appropriate or telling terms
he had trouble thinking of how to phrase his question for the visiting dignitary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of phrase
Jack Dunn, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Heck, even one of his catch-all phrases connects the points.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
Ed Simon
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Students often manage personal cues, entrances, and phrasing while working collectively to maintain cohesion.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phrase
Noun
The phrase doesn’t appear to have any real meaning and functions more as an internet inside joke.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Heck, even one of his catch-all phrases connects the points.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
Yet if apocalypticism is phrased in the rhetoric of visionary metaphor and symbol, then the current climate crisis is rendered in the language of arid climatology and geology, a distinction which makes a huge difference.
—Ed Simon
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Students often manage personal cues, entrances, and phrasing while working collectively to maintain cohesion.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phrase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phrase
Noun
-
The history of labor struggle, infused with religious idioms, is a source of identity and values evident in everything from union meetings in churches to prayers on picket lines.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
-
What began as an idiom of care—protecting vulnerable students—has been used to justify a spectacle of retribution.—
Lula Konner,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The temperature change — a drop of 20C/35F Poch said — was cited as a ‘massive risk’ for injuries by the USMNT head coach after a 2-1 win in which Christian Pulisic suffered a muscle strain.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
At the time, authorities said several companies operated on the Accurate Energetic Systems property, but the blast happened in an area operated by Rio Ammunition.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This isn't the first time the Trump administration has specifically tried to limit which words the Energy Department uses.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The plan, as worded, gives them little to hold on to as an achievement after Hamas sparked two years of war on Oct. 7, 2023, with unbearable sacrifices for Palestinians.—
Asher Kaufman,
The Conversation,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Others have expressed their frustration at how Collinsworth seems to be over-the-top with his accolades for Mahomes.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Community members expressed their emotions in the aftermath of the shooting.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phrase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phrase. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share