The goal of this research consists in identification and complex description of the stages of existence of a phrase. The subject of this research is changes in the use that afflict phrases in diachrony. The author determines the types of such changes, which characterize the stages of existence of a phrase since its emergence, as well as possible ways of development of a phrase (in terms of unchangeability of its composition and level of idiomaticity).Based on the material of verbal-nominal phrases in German language, both free and phraseologisms, and attraction of corpus-based data, the changes in use are perceived as elements of a single process. The scientific novelty lies in the attempt to describe the models of diachronic changes as cyclic processes; reveal common trends in development of phrases and in applicability of the definition of “life cycle” to the indicted processes. The concept of “life cycle”, used in various sciences for designating the natural, repeating processes, found its reflection in linguistics. However, cyclic processes in phraseology yet remain unstudied, despite the existing description of such phenomena as usualization, phraseologization, and dephraseologization. In conclusion, the author presents a dynamic model of life cycle of a phrase; the changes in use are viewed as its part; as well as offers the terms “deusualization” and “reusualization”. The obtained life cycle model can find application in further research in the area of diachronic phraseology and phrase formation.