paraphrase
Americannoun
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a restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form, as for clearness; rewording.
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the act or process of restating or rewording.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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an expression of a statement or text in other words, esp in order to clarify
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the practice of making paraphrases
verb
Usage
What does paraphrase mean? A paraphrase is a restatement of a text in your own words while giving credit to the person who originated the thought. For example, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” You might paraphrase it in an essay by writing, “To paraphrase FDR, we have nothing to be afraid of, and we can’t let fear hold us back.”To paraphrase means to restate something in your own words. You might paraphrase complicated information in order to make it easier for your audience to understand. You also might paraphrase something when you can’t remember or can’t verify the exact wording. It’s important to remember that you still need to credit the originator of the statement you’re paraphrasing. Example: If you cannot remember the exact quote, you can paraphrase with precise detail.
Synonym Usage
See translation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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paraphrasernoun
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misparaphraseverb
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paraphrasableadjective
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paraphrasticadjective
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unparaphrasedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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paraphrasesimple
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paraphrasessimple
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have paraphrasedperfect
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has paraphrasedperfect
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am paraphrasingprogressive
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are paraphrasingprogressive
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is paraphrasingprogressive
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have been paraphrasingperfect progressive
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has been paraphrasingperfect progressive
Past
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paraphrasedsimple
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had paraphrasedperfect
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was paraphrasingprogressive
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were paraphrasingprogressive
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had been paraphrasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of paraphrase
First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin paraphrasis, from Greek paráphrasis; para- 1 + phrase
Explanation
The verb paraphrase means to sum something up or clarify a statement by rephrasing it. So to paraphrase that explanation, it means to say something in other, simpler words. If you break paraphrase down, you end up with the prefix para, meaning "beside," and the word phrase — so think of paraphrase as coming up with similar, more simple phrases that go beside the ones already said. You might paraphrase your teacher’s lesson because you want to simplify her complicated technical language, or because you forgot exactly what she said but remember the general meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing paraphrase
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary of the Common Core
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To paraphrase Stephen Miller, surely the most instrumental figure in the Trump White House, the only thing that matters is power.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
To paraphrase the group’s first Top 10 U.S. hit in 1964, time is on their side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
When looking at the stock market right now, the increasingly obvious question is to paraphrase that catchy 1940s tune: “Is you is, or is you ain’t, in a bubble?”
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
The art that he created there embodies a kind of deconstructed narcissism; Samaras is fascinated with himself, but mostly as—to paraphrase the photographer Garry Winogrand’s choice of subjects—“something to be photographed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
We should work hard to improve the prisons in our society—take up the unfinished work of Thomas Mott Osborne and transform these scrap heaps into repair shops, to paraphrase the great reformer.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Early in the book, Justice Kennedy paraphrases long conversations with family, friends and mentors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
The passages contain phrases that match exactly, as well as apparent paraphrases and structural similarities.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 9, 2024
The bots “can spit out derivative works: material that is based on, mimics, summaries, or paraphrases Plaintiffs’ works, and harms the market for them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
He likes a line that paraphrases the Book of Isaiah: “Over your cities grass will grow.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2022
Our first works of fiction were translations or paraphrases of Eastern tales introduced into Western Europe by the returning crusaders.
From The Moral and Intellectual Diversity of Races With Particular Reference to Their Respective Influence in the Civil and Political History of Mankind by Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
Schenck paraphrased Suozzi’s remarks: “I don’t tell anybody this, but, you know, I’ve been, I bunked up at C Street.”
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
It paraphrased him as saying that not everything that was being written was true.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
In the latter portions of the book, though, paraphrased conversations raise real questions—especially his conversations with Scalia, whom he recalls as a great friend, which is no doubt true.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
Mr McGrath's daughter, Noeleen, paraphrased Charles Dickens: "He was the best of men and not the worst of men."
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2025
She quoted Frost; she misquoted Stevens; she paraphrased Rilke's description of love.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
“But,” Woodward and Costa write, as if paraphrasing Graham’s thoughts, “there was no changing him. You just kept the conversation going.”
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Sayers praised the art underlying the artifice, paraphrasing Aristotle on the practice of literary deception.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
He told BBC Verify he was "paraphrasing what I thought that meant to them", when he gave his Radio 4 interview.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2025
Alright, I’m paraphrasing, but it’s true: A deluge of new franchise installments hitting theaters every year is as sure of a bet as gambling that the grim reaper’s scythe will be razor-sharp.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2025
“Well, this is good news,” he says, and offers what I think is a bible quote, or at least a paraphrasing.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
