1
general::
verb ADV. carefully The statement was very carefully phrased. | differently I should have phrased my question differently., noun ADJ. colloquial, idiomatic | key ‘Start slowly’ is the key phrase for the first-time marathon runner. | famous | empty, glib, hackneyed, stock He keeps coming out with the same old stock phrases | memorable, well-turned | musical | adjectival, adverbial, noun, verb VERB + PHRASE use | coin Who coined the phrase ‘desktop publishing’? PHRASE + NOUN book PREP. in a/the~ She was, in her own memorable phrase, ‘a woman without a past’. PHRASES a choice of phrase Her unfortunate choice of phrase offended most of the audience. | a turn of phrase He is meticulous in his choice of words and turns of phrase.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
phrase
adjectives
a famous/well-known phrase
• We all hear the phrase "greenhouse gasses", but do you know what it really means?
a memorable phrase
• Who was it who used that memorable phrase "a monumental error of judgement"?
a colourful phrase
(= interesting or rude )
• His conversation is full of colourful phrases.
a well-turned phrase
(= skilfully invented or chosen )
• She creates lifelike characters with a few well-turned phrases.
transnet.ir
4
general::
phrase
a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion:
• What was the phrase he used to describe her? • I’ve never heard of the phrase before. • The President often used the phrase ‘War on terror’.
expression
a fixed phrase which is used in a language and has a particular meaning:
• a colloquial expression (= an informal expression used in everyday spoken language ) • The old-fashioned expression ‘in the family way’ means pregnant. • a common English expression • I was absolutely knackered, if you’ll pardon the expression (= used when you think someone might be offended by the words you have used ) .
idiom
a group of words that has a special meaning which you cannot guess from the meanings of each separate word:
• ‘Under the weather’ is an idiom which means ‘ill’.
cliché
a phrase that is boring and no longer original because people use it a lot:
• The phrase ‘at the end of the day’ has become a real cliché. • There is some truth in the old cliché that time is a great healer.
saying/proverb
a well-known phrase that gives advice about life:
• Do you know the saying ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’? • There is an old Chinese proverb which states ‘A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step’.
slogan
a short phrase that is easy to remember, especially one that is used in advertising:
• advertising slogans • Protesters were shouting anti-government slogans.
motto
a phrase that expresses a person’s or organization’s beliefs and aims:
• The school motto was ‘Truth and Honour’.
Longman-Thesaurus