as in idioms
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 words
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
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Recent Examples of phrases
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
There are five phrases that the most charismatic people use over and over again.
—Vanessa Van Edwards, CNBC, 14 June 2026
These phrases can help start or continue a conversation.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 12 June 2026
Producers like Shungu, QThree, Mike Shabb, and Elsesser himself let their legato phrases repeat ad infinitum, gently bobbing like a dinghy in agitated waters.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
Arriaga’s poem is a long series of names, phrases, lines from politicians and writers that encapsulate America.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Since this scandal broke, intrpid BookTokers have began digging into other trademarks that have been filed for popular phrases.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Additionally, BookTokers began digging into other trademarks that have been filed for popular phrases that are meaningful in the community.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
People look for small phrases and blow up this or that episode.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 June 2026
Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Because Survivor 42 followed the same format with all the exact same twists from Survivor 41—Prisoner's Dilemma, goofy phrases, Hourglass twist, Shot in the Dark, Do or Die—along with many of the same challenges, the entire season often felt like a rerun.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
To this day, people come up to him and quote phrases his character used to utter.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
In essence, the Iowa and West Virginia sports cases ask the court to rule whether a transgender girl – a person assigned male at birth who has transitioned to align with their identity as a girl or woman, as the AP Stylebook phrases it – is a girl or a boy.
—Morgan Marietta, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
Interrogative phrases appeared in 26% of episodes.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
There are five phrases that the most charismatic people use over and over again.
—Vanessa Van Edwards, CNBC, 14 June 2026
These phrases can help start or continue a conversation.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 12 June 2026
Producers like Shungu, QThree, Mike Shabb, and Elsesser himself let their legato phrases repeat ad infinitum, gently bobbing like a dinghy in agitated waters.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
Arriaga’s poem is a long series of names, phrases, lines from politicians and writers that encapsulate America.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Since this scandal broke, intrpid BookTokers have began digging into other trademarks that have been filed for popular phrases.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Additionally, BookTokers began digging into other trademarks that have been filed for popular phrases that are meaningful in the community.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
People look for small phrases and blow up this or that episode.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 June 2026
Verb
Like many workplace phrases, its meaning depends on context, relationship and power.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Because Survivor 42 followed the same format with all the exact same twists from Survivor 41—Prisoner's Dilemma, goofy phrases, Hourglass twist, Shot in the Dark, Do or Die—along with many of the same challenges, the entire season often felt like a rerun.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
To this day, people come up to him and quote phrases his character used to utter.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
In essence, the Iowa and West Virginia sports cases ask the court to rule whether a transgender girl – a person assigned male at birth who has transitioned to align with their identity as a girl or woman, as the AP Stylebook phrases it – is a girl or a boy.
—Morgan Marietta, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phrases
Noun
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Language is often a reflection of the culture that shapes it, impacting tone, idioms, dialects and even silence across regions.—
Ryan Kolln,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Probably because at the time many of the time signatures and chordal progressions that Miles used were over the head of a young guitar player still functioning in the blues and folk idioms.—
Steve Baltin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Carpenter also says the district is closely monitoring some potential cuts to federal grants for students of poverty and language learners.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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And there was luck in that, the coach says.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Kantor expresses an empathy for young people that the more callous of this year’s graduation speakers seemed to lack.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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Potential for harm The executive order expresses concern about AI systems that can discover software vulnerabilities and write malicious code to exploit them.—
Anjana Susarla,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phrases.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phrases. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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