When an organisation stops using something over a period of time, it may phase it out.

The idea

In business and policy contexts, phase out is common and fairly formal. A noun can follow or split it: phase out the buses or phase the buses out. A pronoun must split it: phase them out.

Examples

  • The city will phase out diesel buses over five years.
  • The factory phased out its old packaging gradually.
  • Our school is phasing paper forms out this term.
  • The shop plans to phase them out by winter.
  • The museum phased out printed tickets in stages.
  • The company is phasing out a costly process.

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Watch out

Do not say phase out them. The change is gradual, so the phrase does not imply an immediate stop.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. The clinic will ___ out paper records gradually. (phase / point)

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    phase

    phase completes the expression for gradually ending the use of the records.

  2. Choose the correct option. The old labels are going; the firm will phase ___. (them out / out them)

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    them out

    them out puts the pronoun before the particle.

  3. Choose the correct option. The council ___ out the practice last year. (phased / phase)

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    phased

    phased matches the past time given by last year.

Use it today

Describe a product or practice that an organisation could gradually stop using.