phrasal

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.

But what about phrasal gaffes that make just as much, if not more, sense than their correct counterparts?

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2022

Repetition has an indelible place in Black expressive culture: in the syncopated rhythms of jazz, the phrasal repetitions of the blues and the guttural moans of soul made meaningful by dint of remarkable vocal performances.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2021

I created a new pile for the phrasal verb “take about,” and then my sprachgefühl found its voice: “That’s not a phrasal verb.”

From Slate • Mar. 14, 2017

Cline loves phrasal fragments: “The dark maritime cypress packed tight outside the window, the twitch of salt air.”

From The New Yorker • May 30, 2016

The line length is now based on phrasal rhythm, and at other times on no discoverable principle except that of beginning a new line with some emphatic word.

From The Principles of English Versification by Baum, Paull Franklin