I. phrase 1 S3 W3 /freɪz/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: phrasis , from Greek , from phrazein 'to point out, explain, tell' ]
1 . a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion:
Who first used the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’?
Shakespeare’s plays are full of well-known phrases.
2 . technical a group of words without a ↑ finite verb, especially when they are used to form part of a sentence, such as ‘walking along the road’ and ‘a bar of soap’ ⇨ ↑ clause (2), ↑ sentence 1 (1)
3 . a short group of musical notes that is part of a longer piece
⇨ to coin a phrase at ↑ coin 2 (2), ⇨ a turn of phrase at ↑ turn 2 (11), ⇨ turn a phrase at ↑ turn 1 (20)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a famous/well-known phrase
We all hear the phrase "greenhouse gasses", but do you know what it really means?
▪ a memorable phrase
Who was it who used that memorable phrase "a monumental error of judgement"?
▪ a colourful phrase (=interesting or rude)
His conversation is full of colourful phrases.
▪ a well-turned phrase (=skilfully invented or chosen)
She creates lifelike characters with a few well-turned phrases.
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THESAURUS
▪ phrase a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion:
What was the phrase he used to describe her?
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I’ve never heard of the phrase before.
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The President often used the phrase ‘War on terror’.
▪ expression a fixed phrase which is used in a language and has a particular meaning:
a colloquial expression (=an informal expression used in everyday spoken language)
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The old-fashioned expression ‘in the family way’ means pregnant.
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a common English expression
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I was absolutely knackered, if you’ll pardon the expression (=used when you think someone might be offended by the words you have used) .
▪ idiom a group of words that has a special meaning which you cannot guess from the meanings of each separate word:
‘Under the weather’ is an idiom which means ‘ill’.
▪ cliché a phrase that is boring and no longer original because people use it a lot:
The phrase ‘at the end of the day’ has become a real cliché.
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There is some truth in the old cliché that time is a great healer.
▪ saying/proverb a well-known phrase that gives advice about life:
Do you know the saying ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’?
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There is an old Chinese proverb which states ‘A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step’.
▪ slogan a short phrase that is easy to remember, especially one that is used in advertising:
advertising slogans
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Protesters were shouting anti-government slogans.
▪ motto a phrase that expresses a person’s or organization’s beliefs and aims:
The school motto was ‘Truth and Honour’.
II. phrase 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to express something in a particular way:
Polly tried to think how to phrase the question.
Sorry, I phrased that badly.
2 . to perform music in order to produce the full effect of separate musical phrases