parse
Americanverb (used with object)
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parses,
present (3rd person singular)
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parsed,
past participle, past
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parsing
present participle
-
to analyze (a sentence) in terms of grammatical constituents, identifying the parts of speech, syntactic relations, etc.
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to describe (a word in a sentence) grammatically, identifying the part of speech, inflectional form, syntactic function, etc.
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to analyze (something, as a speech or behavior) to discover its implications or uncover a deeper meaning.
Political columnists were in their glory, parsing the president's speech on the economy in minute detail.
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Computers. to analyze (a string of characters) in order to associate groups of characters with the syntactic units of the underlying grammar.
verb (used without object)
-
parses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
parsed,
past participle, past
-
parsing
present participle
verb
-
to assign constituent structure to (a sentence or the words in a sentence)
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(intr) (of a word or linguistic element) to play a specified role in the structure of a sentence
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computing to analyse the source code of a computer program to make sure that it is structurally correct before it is compiled and turned into machine code
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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parsesimple
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parsessimple
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have parsedperfect
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has parsedperfect
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am parsingprogressive
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are parsingprogressive
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is parsingprogressive
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have been parsingperfect progressive
-
has been parsingperfect progressive
Past
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parsedsimple
-
had parsedperfect
-
was parsingprogressive
-
were parsingprogressive
-
had been parsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of parse
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin pars “part,” as in pars ōrātiōnis “part of speech”
Explanation
When you parse a sentence, you break it into parts and analyze each element carefully. When your sweetheart shouts "You never listen!" it's a bad idea to parse that by replying, "I just heard you, so I must be listening." The ability to successfully parse language is important. A binding legal contract, for example, should be read very carefully so you know exactly what's going on. You can also parse things that are more personal. You might exhaustively parse the comments of the guy you have a desperate crush on for any hint that he shares your passionate feelings. The sad truth of the matter? If you have to parse, he probably doesn't love you. Apply your parsing skills elsewhere!
Vocabulary lists containing parse
Charming as Verb
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Educated
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The Martian
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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:
For example, GPT-6 Astra was found to ask the right questions to parse the situations being discussed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
My English teachers and literature professors were probably too tired to parse such nuance, and I don’t blame them.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
A professional can help you parse your options, and maybe even remind you both of what drew you to each other in the first place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Investors will also be looking forward to Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s keynote address from the Jackson Hole, Wyo., economic-policy symposium on Friday, hoping to parse indications of the Fed’s strategy on interest rates.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
Others fill out a phrase’s rhythm, which can also make the sentence easier for the reader to parse.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
This is the little-known but prescient speech that Saladin Ambar expertly parses and intriguingly reinterprets in “Murder on the Mississippi.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025
Rebecca Onion parses the book for clues that could explain the film’s cryptic ending.
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2023
A good debate — or one that’s worth its while — illuminates issues, parses differences and sheds light on the persona of its participants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
Throughout the album, which arrived in January, Wolf parses the past by mulling how others used to treat her and how she felt about herself.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2023
"The rover currently parses the signal into bytes, then identifies the specific sequence the Hab sends. That way, natural radio waves won't throw off the homing. If the bytes aren't right, the rover ignores them."
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
BMO parsed Chinese import-and-export data and concluded that Beijing has likely been releasing copper from its own secretive stockpiles—and may eventually decide to top them up again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
That’s the question everyone is trying to figure out, as the 32-page agreement is parsed, with pundits pouring over minutiae of cable streaming and tax credits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
About 74% of returns that filed a capital gain in 2022 had household incomes of less than $200,000, according to Internal Revenue Service data parsed by Americans for Tax Reform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
For his part, Thomas writes as though history resides principally in legal texts, 19th-century dictionaries, and carefully parsed debates over sovereignty.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
Suppose a reader has successfully parsed a sentence and now has an understanding of who did what to whom or what is true of what.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
This is the part I’m having trouble parsing.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
“I think we’re more steeped in storytelling than we’ve ever been,” he said, “yet we’re worse at parsing it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
For investors parsing the regulatory filings, these industry trends supporting the stock carry far more weight than a few automated transactions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
The phrase might also carry a double meaning, one Grohl is still parsing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
If a command was too complex, the game’s simple parsing engine wouldn’t be able to understand it.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
