- present participle of phrase.
noun
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the way in which something is expressed, esp in writing; wording
-
music the division of a melodic line, part, etc, into musical phrases
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of phrasing
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:
Whatever the tone of his voice might owe to state-of-the-art recording techniques, the suppleness and clarity of his phrasing are undeniably impressive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Patel’s style has been built around dark insinuation, and in this case his phrasing was official enough to seem consequential, yet vague enough to be exploited.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Maalouf: For me, as a trumpet player, of course, the musical influence; space, phrasing, silence, we can talk about this for hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
What’s more, the March statement kept the “in considering the extent and timing of additional adjustments‘’ phrasing — first put in place during the 2024 easing cycle.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
Before teaching it, ask students to listen carefully to something in the song’s phrasing, repetition, rhythm, melody, timbre, lyrics, dynamics, rests, mood or affect, etc.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Working around this requires using metaphors, euphemisms, or simple asterisks in place of vowels, which means being vigilant about what is typed and learning alternative phrasings.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2023
They captured the unique phrasings of drivers of the capital’s private minibuses — which once constituted a hefty fraction of Kyiv transport, but began to fade in the era of Uber — hawking their destinations.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
The version channeling comedian Jerry Seinfeld captured his signature phrasings.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
The version channeling comedian Jerry Seinfeld captured his verbal mannerisms and signature phrasings.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
In these instances, I believe that her actions speak even louder than whatever words she might have said, so I have filled in some cracks in the research with my own phrasings.
From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell
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.
