/ feɪz; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a stage in a process of change or development :
during the first / next / last phase
the initial / final phase of the project
a critical / decisive phase
the design phase
His anxiety about the work was just a passing phase .
She's going through a difficult phase .
The wedding marked the beginning of a new phase in Emma's life.
2.
each of the shapes of the moon as we see it from the earth at different times of the month
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IDIOMS
- in phase / out of phase (with sth)
■ verb
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to arrange to do sth gradually in stages over a period of time :
the phased withdrawal of troops from the area
Closure of the hospitals was phased over a three-year period.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- phase sth in
- phase sth out
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WORD ORIGIN
early 19th cent. (in sense 2): from French phase , based on Greek phasis appearance, from the base of phainein to show.