n. 1 clause, noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, adjectival phrase When asked for an example of a verb phrase, the student responded, 'Shut up' 2 expression, word-group, collocation, locution, idiom, idiomatic expression, collocution, proverb, motto, slogan, saying, catch-phrase, adage, maxim, axiom, saw, colloquialism, cliché, platitude, commonplace, Colloq chestnut Do you know the source of Churchill's famous phrase, 'Blood, sweat, and tears'? 3 phraseology, phrasing, wording, language, usage, way or manner of speaking, diction, parlance, façon de parler, modus loquendi, modus scribendi, speech habit, style, choice of words, word choice, syntax, vocabulary He was to 'let slip', to use Shakespeare's phrase, 'the dogs of war'
v. 4 express, term, word, put, frame, formulate, couch, put into words, put or set forth, verbalize, articulate, voice, utter, say, write; describe, delineate I am pondering over the best way to phrase this example