phrases 1 of 2

plural of phrase

phrases

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of phrase

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 phrases
Noun
Spain is accustomed to welcoming visitors from around the world, but as always, learning a few phrases in the local language will go a long way. Catherine Tansey, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 July 2026 Consider putting quotation marks around names to search for them as exact phrases, and use city or state names and the subjects the person teaches to help narrow your search results. Mollie Simon, ProPublica, 16 July 2026 Quijada and Robinson invite us into the process of making their musical, constructing the show’s soundscape and musical score in real time by recording musical phrases into a looping station and layering in sound. Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 The study will examine whether the system could allow survivors to discreetly communicate with law enforcement using pre-established codes or phrases when making a phone call is not safe. Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 14 July 2026 In it, four contestants solve jumbled words and phrases that unscramble right before their eyes; as the tiles unscramble, the clues get easier, and the player buzzing in with the most correct answers earns a shot at the $10,000 grand prize. Denise Petski, Deadline, 14 July 2026 The narrative moves from the early days of the war to a glossary of Beiruti wartime phrases, then to Makdisi’s upbringing, and back to her memories of war and the people lost to it. Literary Hub, 14 July 2026 The onset of warmer temperatures will first be marked by phrases of clouds and humidity. Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026 Many descriptive phrases recur no matter who is speaking, which makes the author’s prose feel like a fire hose aimed at the reader. Carolyn Kellogg, The Atlantic, 8 July 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
  • On the one hand, the translation serves as a source for the idioms of nineteenth-century English; on the other, as evidence of the ideas that the translator held about a Colombian woman writer.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
  • The film’s look is inspired by ink wash paintings and wood blocks, moving fluidly between different visual idioms.
    Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • The petition says the property has been in violation of city code for over five years and the owner has received several citations for various issues including roof disrepair, unattended vegetation growth, trash and graffiti.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
  • Outside of NGOs, legal work for openly transgender people in Nepal is virtually nonexistent, executive director Manisha Dhakal says.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Verb
  • In one of Nolan’s subtle but important additions to Homer’s tale, all throughout the film, everyone expresses fears about the People from the Sea, this unseen menace terrorizing different towns.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • Truly someone who has those types of values and expresses them very publicly.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Phrases.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phrases. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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