I. phase 1 W2 AC /feɪz/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Language: Modern Latin ; Origin: phasis , from Greek , 'appearance of a star, phase of the moon' , from phanein 'to show, appear' ]
1 . one of the stages of a process of development or change:
a new drug that is in the experimental phase
phase of
The first phase of renovations should be finished by January.
in phases
The work will be carried out in phases.
It’s just a phase he’s going through.
2 . out of phase (with something) British English not happening together in the right way:
Nizan’s views were out of phase with the political climate of the time.
3 . in phase (with something) British English happening together in the right way:
The electrical work will be carried out in phase with the other renovations.
4 . technical one of a fixed number of changes in the appearance of the Moon or a ↑ planet when it is seen from the Earth
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THESAURUS
▪ stage one of several parts of a long process, which happen one after another:
At this stage of the election campaign, it is impossible to predict who will win.
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She is still in the early stages of pregnancy.
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Piaget famously divided childhood into four separate stages.
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the opening stages of the race
▪ step one of the parts of a process that you have to do or deal with in order to go on to the next one:
The first step is to make a list of what you need.
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What’s the next step?
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You have to do this one step at a time.
▪ phase one of the clearly separate stages of a process or activity, during which a type of activity takes place that is different from those in other phases:
the initial phase of the campaign
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They were now entering the final phase of their journey.
▪ round one of the parts that an event or activity is divided into, especially talks or a sports competition:
the first round of the negotiations
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the final round of the competition
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The next round of the trade talks will be held in Geneva.
▪ point a specific time or moment during the course of something:
What do you really want at this point in your life?
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By this point they were startng to feel more confident.
II. phase 2 AC BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
to make something happen gradually in a planned way:
The closure of the regional offices was phased over an 18-month period.
a phased withdrawal of military forces
phase something ↔ in phrasal verb
to gradually start using a new system, law, process etc:
The new tests will be phased in over the next two years.
phase something ↔ out phrasal verb
to gradually stop using or providing something:
The subsidy for company cars is to be phased out next year.