1
: style of expression : phraseology
2
: the act, method, or result of grouping notes into musical phrases
Examples of phrasing in a Sentence
The phrasing of the instructions was confusing.
a singer known for her elegant phrasing
Recent Examples on the Web
Carlile put her emphatic phrasing into the patriotic hymn, elongating notes and smiling at herself after a slight vocal squeak at the end.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
But that is where a team with arguably the most forward-facing executive in the NBA, if not in all of sports, had to be forward facing, with a media session with the same type of clarity as all those times after landing, for lack of better phrasing, a whale.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
When a word feels too abstract, Jacobs shifts the phrasing, lowers the tempo or elongates a syllable until Siena grasps it.
—Reylee Billingsley, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
To say America’s landscape was littered in the 1970s is not merely poetic phrasing.
—James Salzman, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for phrasing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
But that is where a team with arguably the most forward-facing executive in the NBA, if not in all of sports, had to be forward facing, with a media session with the same type of clarity as all those times after landing, for lack of better phrasing, a whale.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
When a word feels too abstract, Jacobs shifts the phrasing, lowers the tempo or elongates a syllable until Siena grasps it.
—Reylee Billingsley, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
To say America’s landscape was littered in the 1970s is not merely poetic phrasing.
—James Salzman, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for phrasing
Cite this Entry
“Phrasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phrasing. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
