periphrasis /pəˈɹɪfɹəsɪs/ noun4 •The use of a longer expression instead of a shorter one with a similar meaning, for example "I am going to" instead of "I will". •Expressing a grammatical meaning (such as a tense) using a syntactic construction rather than morphological marking.Language learners sometimes use periphrases like "did go" where a native speaker would use "went".Native speakers use periphrases like "did not go" where a language learner might use "went not". •(rhetoric) The substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name (a type of circumlocution).Periphrasis a single thought expands, And uses many words for what but few demands. — 1835 •(rhetoric) The use of a proper name as a shorthand to stand for qualities associated with it. formsperiphrases