Definition of phase:

• Any one point or portion in a recurring series of changes, as in the changes of motion of one of the particles constituting a wave or vibration; one portion of a series of such changes, in distinction from a contrasted portion, as the portion on one side of a position of equilibrium, in contrast with that on the opposite side.
• A particular stage of any event, or phenomena. Examples include ' a phase of my life?' In Chemistry, it means matter's physical state. In Physics, the term is used to determine the oscillatory motion of a wave.
• To disturb the composure of; to disconcert; to nonplus.
• arrange in phases or stages; " phase a withdrawal"
• adjust so as to be in a synchronized condition; " he phased the intake with the output of the machine"
• ( astronomy) the particular appearance of a body's state of illumination ( especially one of the recurring shapes of the part of Earth's moon that is illuminated by the sun); " the full phase of the moon"
• a particular point in the time of a cycle; measured from some arbitrary zero and expressed as an angle
• any distinct time period in a sequence of events; " we are in a transitional stage in which many former ideas must be revised or rejected"
• ( physical chemistry) a distinct state of matter in a system; matter that is identical in chemical composition and physical state and separated from other material by the phase boundary; " the reaction occurs in the liquid phase of the system"
• A homogenous, physically distinct portion of matter in a system not homogeneous; as, the three phases, ice, water, and aqueous vapor. A phase may be either a single chemical substance or a mixture, as of gases.
• In certain birds and mammals, one of two or more color variations characteristic of the species, but independent of the ordinary seasonal and sexual differences, and often also of age. Some of the herons which appear in white and colored phases, and certain squirrels which are sometimes uniformly blackish instead of the usual coloration, furnish examples. Color phases occur also in other animals, notably in butterflies.
• That which is exhibited to the eye; the appearance which anything manifests, especially any one among different and varying appearances of the same object.
• Any appearance or aspect of an object of mental apprehension or view; as, the problem has many phases.
• A particular appearance or state in a regularly recurring cycle of changes with respect to quantity of illumination or form of enlightened disk; as, the phases of the moon or planets. See Illust. under Moon.
• A particular aspect or appearance, as, a phase of the moon; any of the changing appearances that an object or thing may take; one side or view of a subject. Also, phasis.
• 1. One of the stages in which a thing appears during its course of change or development. 2. A homogeneous, physically distinct, and separable portion of a heterogeneous system; thus oil, gum, and water are three phases of an emulsion.
• Appearance; one of a series of changes.

Usage examples for phase

1. A new phase in Irish history had begun, of which Sir Edward Carson was the chief responsible author.  John Redmond's Last Years by Stephen Gwynn

2. This phase we treated from several different points of view, in order to be absolutely certain that it was understood.  African Camp Fires by Stewart Edward White

3. Strange to say, his bride began to melt away before his very eyes, and, thoroughly familiar as he was with the laws of magic, here was a new phase of mystery which was completely beyond his comprehension.  Strange Pages from Family Papers by T. F. Thiselton Dyer

4. The educated Russian does not regard his national literature merely as the intellectual flower of his nation; it must essentially be a mirror of actual social occurrences, of the cultural phase in which any particular work originated.  Maxim Gorki by Hans Ostwald