Language learners sometimes use periphrases like "did go" where a native speaker would use "went".
Source: wiktionary
Periphrasis
//pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs//
Synonyms for "periphrasis" (20 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (4)
Noun(2 words)
Strong matches (6)
Related words (10)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
2 entriesSynonyms
2 entriesRelated terms
2 entrieshas context
2 entriesrelated to
9 entriesTranslations
15 translations across 13 languages.
Asturian
1 entries- perífrasis noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Catalan
1 entries- perífrasi noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Finnish
1 entries- perifraasi noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
French
1 entries- périphrase noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Galician
1 entries- perífrase noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Greek
1 entries- περίφραση noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Hungarian
1 entries- körülírás noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Italian
1 entries- perifrasi noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Kazakh
2 entries- бүкпе сөз noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
- перифраза noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Portuguese
1 entries- perífrase noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Russian
2 entries- перифра́з noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
- перифра́за noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Spanish
1 entries- perífrasis noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Swedish
1 entries- perifras noun (use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one)
Sample sentences
4 total sentences available.
Native speakers use periphrases like "did not go" where a language learner might use "went not".
Source: wiktionary
Periphrasis a single thought expands, And uses many words for what but few demands.
Source: wiktionary
The "glen," or the "brake of the lion," is Pindar's favourite periphrasis for Nemea.
Source: wiktionary
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.