Thesaurus results for PHRASES

phrases 1 of 2

noun

plural of phrase

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

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phrases

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of phrase

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

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

Swift, who declined to comment, has among the most extensive trademark portfolios in the entertainment industry, with more than 170 active or pending registrations spanning names, phrases and commercial designations. —

Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026 Ethan began learning to express himself through a combination of short spoken phrases and pointing to icons on a tablet. —

Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026 Dynamic contrasts were boldly drawn, but phrases and passages were also beautifully tapered, up and down, when they were meant to. —

Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 22 Mar. 2026 The first text contains different kinds of phrases and clauses, while the second text repeats the same clause structure four times. —

Laura Aull, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026 Even as Southern cooking evolves, these phrases continue to pop up—in social media comments, kitchens, and conversations—sometimes unexpectedly, but always in a way that brings people together. —

Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026 Above this playful mess of a beat, which includes a music box-like instrument that sounds partially broken, Shabaka rips out brief and noisy phrases on tenor sax. —

Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026 Since 2018, when the sports-betting ban was overturned, internet searches for phrases like Am I addicted to gambling? —

Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026 Some ignited fireworks and others spoke from a bullhorn or spray-painted anti-ICE phrases on vehicles and an unoccupied guard booth. —

Emerson Clarridge updated March 11, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2026

Verb

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 Extract phrases from calls, build frameworks from notes, convert DMs to posts. —

Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phrases

Noun

If the assignment is to translate something from a foreign language, there are plenty of tools and resources that can do it for you, including by recognizing and figuratively translating idioms.

— Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.

— Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026