Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
paraphrase en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpæɹəfɹeɪz/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle French paraphrase, from Latin paraphrasis, from Ancient Greek παράφρασις (paráphrasis), equivalent to para- + phrase. Doublet of paraphrasis.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A restatement of a text in different words, often to clarify meaning or from memory rather than verbatim.
close paraphrase
The article included a brief paraphrase of the speech.
Near-synonym: paraphrasis
-
(Scotland, countable, uncountable) One of a certain number of Scripture passages turned into verse for use in the service of praise.
Forms
Deriveds
paraphrastic · paraphrastically · paraphrastical
Relateds
Etymology of translation · metaphrase
Synonyms
paraphrasis
Translations (35)
be перака́з (restatement of a text) · ru переска́з (restatement of a text) · io parafrazo (restatement of a text) · hu parafrázis (restatement of a text) · ru парафра́за (restatement of a text) · eo parafrazo (restatement of a text) · es paráfrasis (restatement of a text) · el παράφρασις (restatement of a text) · de Nacherzählung (restatement of a text) · tl paraprase (restatement of a text) · tr şerh (restatement of a text) · it parafrasi (restatement of a text) · la paraphrasis (restatement of a text) · hu átfogalmazás (restatement of a text) · de sinngemäße Wiedergabe (restatement of a text) · bg прера́зказ (restatement of a text) · de Wiedererzählung (restatement of a text) · nl parafrase (restatement of a text) · pl parafraza (restatement of a text) · tr teşrih (restatement of a text) · tr açımlanım (restatement of a text) · ml പരാവർത്തനം (restatement of a text) · uk перефразува́ння (restatement of a text) · fr paraphrase (restatement of a text) · uk парафра́за (restatement of a text) · gl paráfrase (restatement of a text) · de Umschreibung (restatement of a text) · fi parafraasi (restatement of a text) · pt paráfrase (restatement of a text) · hu körülírás (restatement of a text) · he פָּרַפְרָזָה (restatement of a text) · tr açım (restatement of a text) · tr açımlama (restatement of a text) · grc παράφρασις (restatement of a text) · uk пере́каз (restatement of a text)
paraphrase en · VERB
Pronunciation
- /ˈpæɹəfɹeɪz/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle French paraphrase, from Latin paraphrasis, from Ancient Greek παράφρασις (paráphrasis), equivalent to para- + phrase. Doublet of paraphrasis.
Meanings
-
(ambitransitive) To restate something as, or to compose a paraphrase. To repeat a written or spoken phrase/quote using different words, often in a simpler and shorter form, or sometimes in a humorous context.
She asked the student to paraphrase the passage.
Adult-literacy scores have also dropped: Nearly 30 percent of American adults cannot paraphrase or make inferences from a multipage text. In 2017, that number was less than 20 percent.
2026 July 8, Rose Horowitch, “The End of Reading Is Here”, in Jeffrey Goldberg, editor, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Jul 2026:
Forms
Deriveds
paraphrasability · paraphrasable · unparaphrasable · paraphrasal · paraphrasist · unparaphrased · misparaphrase
Relateds
in other words · or words to that effect
Translations (47)
grc παραφράζω (to compose a paraphrase) · ru парафрази́ровать (to compose a paraphrase) · sk parafrázovať (to compose a paraphrase) · el παραφράζω (to compose a paraphrase) · de umschreiben (to compose a paraphrase) · tr teşrih etmek (to compose a paraphrase) · de sinngemäß wiedergeben (to compose a paraphrase) · sh parafrazirati (to compose a paraphrase) · bg преразка́звам (to compose a paraphrase) · bg преразка́жа (to compose a paraphrase) · pl parafrazować (to compose a paraphrase) · uk переказа́ти (to compose a paraphrase) · fi kertoa omin sanoin (to compose a paraphrase) · cmn 釋義 /释义 (to compose a paraphrase) · th ถอดความ (to compose a paraphrase) · ru переска́зывать (to compose a paraphrase) · uk перефразува́ти (to compose a paraphrase) · es parafrasear (to compose a paraphrase) · tr açımlamak (to compose a paraphrase) · io parafrazar (to compose a paraphrase) · ru пересказа́ть (to compose a paraphrase) · hu elmagyaráz (to compose a paraphrase) · pt parafrasear (to compose a paraphrase) · fi esittää omin sanoin (to compose a paraphrase) · uk парафразува́ти (to compose a paraphrase) · hu parafrazál (to compose a paraphrase) · ar سَرَدَ (to compose a paraphrase) · gl parafrasear (to compose a paraphrase) · cmn 復述 /复述 (to compose a paraphrase) · tr şerh etmek (to compose a paraphrase) · cs parafrázovat (to compose a paraphrase) · hu körülír (to compose a paraphrase) · fr paraphraser (to compose a paraphrase) · cmn 改寫 /改写 (to compose a paraphrase) · uk перека́зувати (to compose a paraphrase) · ro perifraza (to compose a paraphrase) · cmn 意譯 /意译 (to compose a paraphrase) · ro parafraza (to compose a paraphrase) · fi mukailla (to compose a paraphrase) · pl sparafrazować (to compose a paraphrase) · bg парафрази́рам (to compose a paraphrase) · eo parafrazi (to compose a paraphrase) · ja 引用する (to compose a paraphrase) · de paraphrasieren (to compose a paraphrase) · ja 言い換える (to compose a paraphrase) · uk перефразо́вувати (to compose a paraphrase) · sw fasili (to compose a paraphrase)