R. S. Anson
Did you know?
If parse brings up memories of learning the parts of speech in school, you've done your homework regarding this word. Parsing sentences, after all, is part and parcel of learning to read and write. Parse comes from the first element of the Latin term for "part of speech," pars orationis. It's an old word that has been used since at least the mid 1500s, but it was not until the late 1700s that parse graduated to its extended, non-grammar-related sense of "to examine in a minute way" or "to analyze critically." Remember this extended sense, and you'll really be at the head of the class.
Examples of parse in a Sentence
Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Big bank earnings will kick off earnings season in the week ahead, and investors will also get to parse more inflation data.
—Erin Doherty,annika Kim Constantino,yun Li, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2025
Doe alleges that this settlement was agreed to in writing and the payment was to be parsed out over seven months.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025
The White House is building a defense on parsing semantics.
—Erica L. Green, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parse
Cite this Entry
“Parse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parse. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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