explain
Usage
What are other ways to say explain?
To explain is to make plain, clear, or intelligible something that is not known or understood: to explain a theory or a problem. To elucidate is to throw light on what before was dark and obscure, usually by illustration and commentary and sometimes by elaborate explanation: They asked him to elucidate his statement. To expound is to give a methodical, detailed, scholarly explanation of something, usually Scriptures, doctrines, or philosophy: to expound the doctrine of free will. To interpret is to give the meaning of something by paraphrase, by translation, or by an explanation based on personal opinion: to interpret a poem or a symbol.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For example, a justice might explain how a merits decision from the court, like April’s Callais case, regarding Louisiana’s congressional maps, might not cover an Alabama map because of different facts on the ground.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
By combining observations across different wavelengths, they hope to better understand how these signals are produced and whether similar mechanisms can explain the broader population of long-period radio transients.
From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026
“No, no. He wants to explain it to you in person.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
Remote work can explain 64% of the recent increase in unemployment among young college graduates, according to an analysis from The New York Federal Reserve.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
“OK, but you can explain that, right? You can tell him you never agreed to that one, and you only wrote ‘ew’ because you were in denial.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Vocabulary lists containing explain
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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