parsing

American  

[pahr-sing] / ˈpɑr sɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of analyzing sentences or their elements grammatically.

   Many sites offer additional help for those studying classical Greek texts, such as quick parsing and translation.

2. the act or process of analyzing language, behavior, events, etc., closely or minutely to discover their implications or deeper meaning.

   At first I interpreted the case the same way, but on second thought, and after careful parsing of the press releases, it's not as clear-cut.

   There will always be opportunities to entertain disquisitions on the subject, more detailed parsing of the circumstances, and so on.

3. Computers. the process of analyzing character strings in order to associate them with syntactic units of the underlying grammar.

   If the file path contains spaces, use double quotes to ensure correct parsing.

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Etymology

Origin of parsing

pars(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Parsing the pieces of the report, John Ryding, Brean Capital’s chief economic adviser, points to tariff pressures pushing up apparel and footwear and household equipment prices.

From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025

Parsing through metagenomic data can be a daunting task, much like trying to assemble several massive jigsaw puzzles with all of the pieces jumbled together.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2024

Parsing those numbers dulls some of the sheen.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024

Parsing such a message requires not only technical skill but also an artistic, philosophical flex.

From Scientific American • Aug. 3, 2023

At p. 319., enumerating the contents of chap. vi., we have "The Questions of the Accidence, called the Poasing of the English Parts;" and chap. ix. is "Of Parsing and the kinds thereof, &c."

From Notes and Queries, Number 61, December 28, 1850 by Various