Paraphrasing: meaning, definitions and examples

Paraphrasing is typically used in academic or professional settings when you want to restate someone else's ideas in your own words without changing the original meaning.

• The teacher asked the students to practice paraphrasing the text to improve their understanding.
• Paraphrasing helps avoid plagiarism while showing comprehension of the material.

Rephrase is often used in everyday conversation and writing when you need to say something in a different way, usually to make it clearer or more straightforward.

• Could you rephrase that question? I'm not sure I understand.
• She had to rephrase her statement to make sure everyone understood her point.

Reword is mostly used when you need to change the wording of a sentence or phrase to enhance clarity, tone, or correctness; it can also apply in editing or revising written texts.

• The editor suggested rewording the paragraph to make it more engaging.
• He had to reword his response to better fit the formal tone of the email.

Rewrite implies making more significant changes to a text, often to improve organization, tone, or clarity. It is used when extensive modifications are needed rather than just minor tweaks.

• The CEO will rewrite the company’s mission statement to better reflect its current values.
• I had to rewrite my essay completely after receiving feedback from my professor.