Is "parse out" actually a phrasal verb, and in what context do you use "parse"

Question

I came across this text example about phrasal verbs:

• There's no better investment than the most comfortable sneakers Maybe your last beloved pair is kinda falling apart and desperately needs to be replaced. Luckily for you, the sneaker (fashion or otherwise) is my specialty. I've sifted through a bunch of options and reviews to help you parse out which ones are worth your time and money.

Could you please clarify if the usage of "parse out" is appropriate in the context provided?

I have searched several dictionaries for the definition of the phrasal verb "parse out," but I was unable to find one. I only found the definition for "parse." From what I understand from reading the definitions in the Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster, to parse is usually used with more abstract concepts like language, computer data, or ideas, but it literally means to separate into parts (for the purpose of understanding). All of the definitions relate to taking something that is whole (like a sentence) and breaking it into its component parts (like subject, verb, object). In computing, you are taking a whole string of text and looking at the individual characters/letters in that string. Or you are taking a complex topic and breaking it into smaller pieces to better understand it.

Answer 1

Most dictionaries may not have caught on yet, but it passes muster in many publications in the sense of 'figure out'. There's a few hundred hits in the News on the Web Corpus.

It's difficult to parse out which star is waxing, which is waning, and which direction they are moving in, both compared to us and each other. (phys.org)

It has created natural comparisons between them along the way, fostering an atmosphere in which fans and sports pundits alike have tried to parse out which one of them is better, whose spot is most untouchable on the roster and which of them is more pivotal to the Celtics' success as they prepare to lead the team to the franchise's 18th NBA title. (LA Times)

That means we're getting a range of cultural cues and we may struggle to parse out which cues to follow. (NYT)

Incidentally, out is a particle in parse out as it may occur before or after an object.

Arabella is quite literally looking back at her life, at a specific night, trying to parse out the intersection of liberation and exploitation. (Rolling Stone)

The pitch came as a Senate Judiciary subcommittee held hearings Wednesday to parse out the increasingly confusing world of investigating crimes when data is stored around the world. (The Hill)

Others explained that they had to parse it out, watching each episode as if they were taking a horrible yet necessary medicine. (The Guardian)

What counts is being able to take a new problem, parse it out, and make headway in solving it -- all in the company of others. (The Atlantic)

Answer 2

Farlex carries this usage:

parse out:

To make sense of or find meaning in something. [A noun or pronoun can be used between "parse" and "out."]

• Are you able to parse anything out? This letter is so cryptic.
• I love that his mysterious lyrics give listeners a lot to parse out.

[Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc]

Cambridge Dictionary also has a relevant example, though not specifying 'parse out'; it equates to 'figure out' [both process and accomplishment]:

parse:

...

to examine or think about something carefully in order to understand it:

...

• The economist parses the roles of emotion, cognition, and perception in the understanding of business risk.

...

to [come to] understand something [by contemplation]:

• Some people know they're gay from an early age, but others don't parse it until much later.

...

• What we're going to endeavor to do here is to parse out that complex set of relationships, using the information we have at hand. [Washington Post]

[Cambridge Dictionary; selected senses]

CD also defines the precising linguistics and computing definitions.