rephrase

American  

[ree-freyz] / riˈfreɪz /

verb (used with object)

rephrased, rephrasing

1. to phrase again or differently.

   He rephrased the statement to give it less formality.

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rephrase British  

/ riːˈfreɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to phrase again, esp so as to express more clearly

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Etymology

Origin of rephrase

First recorded in 1890–95; re- + phrase

Explanation

To rephrase something is to say it again, in a slightly different way. You might rephrase your question if the person you're asking doesn't understand it the first time. You might want to rephrase something to clarify a statement, adjust your ideas to fit your audience, or try not to offend the person you're talking to. A salesman might rephrase his pitch if he's not having much success selling encyclopedias, and an author might rephrase material from a book so that the kindergartners she's talking to will understand her. The word combines the prefix re-, "again," and phrase, from the Greek phrasis, or "speech."

Example Sentences

She said she volunteered in November to mediate the meetings, instructing residents to wait their turn to speak or rephrase their questions without profanity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Blanche keeps getting interrupted by mostly successful objections from the prosecutors, and the judge has occasionally asked him to rephrase the question.

From BBC • May 16, 2024

I’ll rephrase that, since most writers don’t necessarily want to ascribe good or evil to their characters.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2024

It’s surprisingly challenging to definitively answer this question, as we’ll see, so let’s slightly rephrase: How many naked-eye stars host planets that we know about?

From Scientific American • Oct. 6, 2023

“Is something bothering you? I’m sorry. I should rephrase that. What’s bothering you right now?”

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• reword