parse

1 of 2

verb

ˈpärs 

chiefly British ˈpärz

parsed; parsing

transitive verb

1

a

: to divide (a sentence) into grammatical parts and identify the parts and their relations to each other

b

: to describe (a word) grammatically by stating the part of speech and explaining the inflection (see inflection sense 2a) and syntactical relationships

2

: to examine in a minute way : analyze critically

… having trouble parsing … explanations for dwindling market shares.

—Robert S. Anson

intransitive verb

1

: to give a grammatical description of a word or a group of words

2

: to admit of being parsed

parse

2 of 2

noun

: a product or an instance of parsing

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

Verb

Students were asked to parse the sentence.

Economists parsed the census data.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

At the pub, Childress and I spoke briefly about ideas of reconciliation and national reckoning, trying to parse where our own actions fit within a larger whole. — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Jost, meanwhile, started to parse through the options using logic. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026

Investors and journalists have now spent two days parsing Anthropic’s IPO filing — its risk factors, its $80 billion headline net loss, and its unusual governance structure — but there’s one number Silicon Valley prizes above all. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Given its central importance both as a potential investment and bellwether for the future of AI, Wall Street research crews and everyday investors alike are carefully parsing the over 400 page document. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Latin pars orationis part of speech

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1963, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for parse

• arse
• carse
• farce
• marse
• sparse

Kids Definition

parse

verb

ˈpärs, 

ˈpärz

parsed; parsing

1

: to analyze a sentence by naming its parts and their relations to each other

2

: to give the part of speech of a word and explain its relation to other words in a sentence