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

The phrasal verb steadily shines as a dismissal, a damnation, and a barked call to attention—an essential caustic shade in the brilliant blue streaks of the dialogue.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 14, 2019

“Look down on” in “He looked down on lexicography as a career” is a phrasal verb.

From Slate • Mar. 14, 2017

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