phase out

phase (feɪz)
—n
1.	any distinct or characteristic period or stage in a sequence of events or chain of development: there were two phases to the resolution; his immaturity was a passing phase
2.	astronomy one of the recurring shapes of the portion of the moon or an inferior planet illuminated by the sun: the new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter are the four principal phases of the moon
3.	physics
	a.  the fraction of a cycle of a periodic quantity that has been completed at a specific reference time, expressed as an angle
	b.  (as modifier): a phase shift
4.	physics a particular stage in a periodic process or phenomenon
5.	in phase (of two waveforms) reaching corresponding phases at the same time
6.	out of phase (of two waveforms) not in phase
7.	chem a distinct state of matter characterized by homogeneous composition and properties and the possession of a clearly defined boundary
8.	zoology a variation in the normal form of an animal, esp a colour variation, brought about by seasonal or geographical change
9.	(usually in combination) biology a stage in mitosis or meiosis: prophase; metaphase
10.	electrical engineering See also polyphase one of the circuits in a system in which there are two or more alternating voltages displaced by equal amounts in phase (sense 5)
11.	(in systemic grammar) the type of correspondence that exists between the predicators in a clause that has two or more predicators; for example connection by to, as in I managed to do it, or -ing, as in we heard him singing
—vb
12.	(often passive) to execute, arrange, or introduce gradually or in stages: a phased withdrawal
13.	(sometimes foll by with) to cause (a part, process, etc) to function or coincide with (another part, process, etc): he tried to phase the intake and output of the machine; he phased the intake with the output
14.	chiefly (US) to arrange (processes, goods, etc) to be supplied or executed when required
[C19: from New Latin phases, pl of phasis, from Greek: aspect; related to Greek phainein to show]
'phaseless
—adj
'phasic
—adj
'phaseal
—adj

phase

is first attested 1841. Meaning "temporary difficult period" (especially of adolescents) is attested from 1913. The verb meaning "to synchronize" is from 1938, from the noun.

phase (fāz)
n.

1. A characteristic form, appearance, or stage of development that occurs in a cycle or that distinguishes some individuals of a group.

2. A discrete homogeneous part of a material system that is mechanically separable from the rest, as is ice from water.

3. Any of the forms or states, solid, liquid, gas, or plasma, in which matter can exist, depending on temperature and pressure.

4. A particular stage in a periodic process or phenomenon such as a wave form or time pattern.

v. phased, phas·ing, phas·es
To introduce, one stage at a time.

phase   (fāz)  Pronunciation Key  Any of the forms, recurring in cycles, in which the Moon or a planet appears in the sky. One of a set of possible homogenous, discrete states of a physical system. States of matter such as solid and liquid are examples of phases, as are different crystal lattice structures in metals such as iron. See also phase transition, state of matter. A measure of how far some cyclic behavior, such as wave motion, has proceeded through its cycle, measured in degrees or radians. At the beginning of the phase, its value is zero; at one quarter of its cycle, its phase is 90 degrees (π/2 radians); halfway through the cycle its value is 180 degrees (π radians), and so on. ◇ The phase angle between two waves is a measure of their difference in phase. Two waves of the same frequency that are perfectly in phase have phase angle zero; if one wave is ahead of the other by a quarter cycle, its phase angle 90 degrees (π/2 radians); waves that are perfectly out of phase have phase angle 180 degrees (π radians), and so on. See more at wave.

phase

1. n. The offset of one's waking-sleeping schedule with respect to the standard 24-hour cycle; a useful concept among people who often work at night and/or according to no fixed schedule. It is not uncommon to change one's phase by as much as 6 hours per day on a regular basis. "What's your phase?" "I've been getting in about 8 P.M. lately, but I'm going to wrap around to the day schedule by Friday." A person who is roughly 12 hours out of phase is sometimes said to be in `night mode'. (The term `day mode' is also (but less frequently) used, meaning you're working 9 to 5 (or, more likely, 10 to 6).) The act of altering one's cycle is called `changing phase'; `phase shifting' has also been recently reported from Caltech.
2. `change phase the hard way': To stay awake for a very long time in order to get into a different phase.
3. `change phase the easy way': To stay asleep, etc. However, some claim that either staying awake longer or sleeping longer is easy, and that it is _shortening_ your day or night that is really hard (see wrap around). The `jet lag' that afflicts travelers who cross many time-zone boundaries may be attributed to two distinct causes: the strain of travel per se, and the strain of changing phase. Hackers who suddenly find that they must change phase drastically in a short period of time, particularly the hard way, experience something very like jet lag without traveling.