parse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to analyze (a sentence) in terms of grammatical constituents, identifying the parts of speech, syntactic relations, etc.
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to describe (a word in a sentence) grammatically, identifying the part of speech, inflectional form, syntactic function, etc.
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to analyze (something, as a speech or behavior) to discover its implications or uncover a deeper meaning.
Political columnists were in their glory, parsing the president's speech on the economy in minute detail.
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Computers. to analyze (a string of characters) in order to associate groups of characters with the syntactic units of the underlying grammar.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to assign constituent structure to (a sentence or the words in a sentence)
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(intr) (of a word or linguistic element) to play a specified role in the structure of a sentence
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computing to analyse the source code of a computer program to make sure that it is structurally correct before it is compiled and turned into machine code
Other Word Forms
- misparse verb (used with object)
- parsable adjective
- parser noun
- parsing noun
- unparsed adjective
Etymology
Origin of parse
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin pars “part,” as in pars ōrātiōnis “part of speech”
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.
During each show, they parse video clips of great performances, often by explaining the history of the piece and giving detailed behind-the-scenes stories.
From Los Angeles Times
Scientists may measure wavelengths and lexicographers may parse meanings, but the world people see and speak about is always changing.
Investors will be parsing whether Fed officials flag stress in credit markets or funding conditions that could complicate the rate outlook.
From Barron's
Investors were trying to parse through what these allegations could mean for the stock moving forward.
From Barron's
Investors are trying to parse through who the winners and losers will be, and Slowinski thinks ServiceNow is already showing signs that it will come out as a winner.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
