Phrase guide

set phrase

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An established expression whose wording is subject to little or no variation, and which may or may not be idiomatic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: phraseme, fixed expression, fixed term

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An idiomatic expression in general.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: idiom, idiomatic expression, phrasal idiom, phrase

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: saying, expression, locution

Narrower terms: ruralism, rusticism

History

Etymology

From set + phrase.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: усто́йлівае словазлучэ́нне (ustójlivaje slovazlučénnje) — expression subject to little variation
  • Catalan: frase feta — expression subject to little variation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 固定搭配 (gùdìng dāpèi) — expression subject to little variation
  • Dutch: vaste verbinding — expression subject to little variation
  • Finnish: kiteymä — expression subject to little variation
  • Finnish: vakiintunut ilmaus — expression subject to little variation
  • Finnish: sanaliitto — expression subject to little variation
  • French: expression consacrée — expression subject to little variation
  • French: phraséologisme — expression subject to little variation
  • German: feststehende Wendung — expression subject to little variation
  • German: formelhafte Wendung — expression subject to little variation
  • German: Wortverbindung — expression subject to little variation
  • German: Wortgruppe — expression subject to little variation
  • German: Redewendung — expression subject to little variation
  • German: Phrasem — expression subject to little variation
  • Japanese: 慣用句 (kan'yōku) — expression subject to little variation
  • Korean: 관용구 (gwanyonggu) — expression subject to little variation
  • Polish: frazeologizm — expression subject to little variation
  • Polish: idiom — expression subject to little variation
  • Polish: idiomat — expression subject to little variation
  • Polish: idiomatyzm — expression subject to little variation
  • Polish: związek frazeologiczny — expression subject to little variation
  • Russian: усто́йчивое словосочета́ние (ustójčivoje slovosočetánije) — expression subject to little variation
  • Russian: усто́йчивое выраже́ние (ustójčivoje vyražénije) — expression subject to little variation
  • Swedish: fast uttryck — expression subject to little variation
  • Ukrainian: уста́лене словосполу́чення (ustálene slovospolúčennja) — expression subject to little variation
  • Ukrainian: ста́ле словосполу́чення (stále slovospolúčennja) — expression subject to little variation
  • Ukrainian: уста́лений ви́слів (ustálenyj výsliv) — expression subject to little variation
  • Ukrainian: ста́лий ви́раз (stályj výraz) — expression subject to little variation
  • Catalan: frase feta — idiomatic expression
  • Catalan: dita — idiomatic expression
  • Chinese Mandarin: 習慣用語 /习惯用语 (xíguànyòngyǔ) — idiomatic expression
  • Chinese Mandarin: 成語 /成语 (chéngyǔ) — idiomatic expression
  • Dutch: vaste verbinding — idiomatic expression
  • Dutch: staande uitdrukking — idiomatic expression
  • Finnish: idiomi — idiomatic expression
  • French: locution figée — idiomatic expression
  • French: phraséologisme — idiomatic expression
  • German: feststehende Redensart — idiomatic expression
  • German: Floskel — idiomatic expression
  • Hungarian: állandósult szókapcsolat — idiomatic expression
  • Italian: frase fatta — idiomatic expression
  • Italian: locuzione cristallizzata — idiomatic expression
  • Japanese: 成句 (seiku) — idiomatic expression
  • Korean: 성어 (seong'eo) — idiomatic expression
  • Korean: 관용구 (gwanyonggu) — idiomatic expression
  • Korean: 성구 (seonggu) — idiomatic expression
  • Polish: frazeologizm — idiomatic expression
  • Polish: idiom — idiomatic expression
  • Polish: idiomat — idiomatic expression
  • Polish: idiomatyzm — idiomatic expression
  • Polish: związek frazeologiczny — idiomatic expression
  • Portuguese: expressão idiomática — idiomatic expression
  • Russian: усто́йчивое словосочета́ние (ustójčivoje slovosočetánije) — idiomatic expression
  • Russian: фразеологи́ческая едини́ца (frazeologíčeskaja jediníca) — idiomatic expression
  • Spanish: frase hecha — idiomatic expression
  • Swedish: idiom — idiomatic expression