A phrase is a group of words that does not have a finite verb. Remember, a finite verb is an action word that can stand on its own (e.g. played, read, eats). In this sentence, “Elephants in the wild travel long distances”, “in the wild” is a phrase and “travel” is a finite verb.

A phrase is always part of a sentence. It cannot stand alone. Unless you know the whole sentence, “Elephants in the wild” doesn’t mean much.