| Main Entry: |
come clean
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | tell the truth |
| Synonyms: | acknowledge information, admit, confess, confess all, explain, implicate oneself, incriminate oneself, make clean breast, own up, reveal, spill |
| Antonyms: | hide, hold, secret |
| Main Entry: | confirm |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ratify, validate, prove |
| Synonyms: | affirm, approve, attest, authenticate, back, bear out, bless, buy, certify, check, check out, circumstantiate, corroborate, debunk, double-check, endorse, establish, explain, give green light, give high sign, give stamp of approval, give the go-ahead, give the nod, justify, lap up, make good, make sure, okay, rubber-stamp, sanction, settle, sign, sign off on, size up, subscribe, substantiate, support, thumbs up, underpin, uphold, verify, vouch, warrant, witness |
| Notes: | corroborate is used in a narrower context, usually by way of providing support for testimony in a legal proceeding; confirm is to lend support to a much wider array of things |
| Antonyms: | annul, cancel, contradict, destroy, disprove, invalidate, oppose, veto, void |
| Main Entry: | decipher |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | figure out, understand |
| Synonyms: | analyze, break, break down, bring out, cipher, construe, crack, decode, deduce, disentangle, dope out, elucidate, encipher, explain, expound, find the key, interpret, make clear, make out, puzzle out, read, render, reveal, solve, spell, translate, unfold, unravel, unriddle |
| Antonyms: | code, encode, scramble |
| Main Entry: | defend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | show support for |
| Synonyms: | advocate, aid, apologize for, argue, assert, back, back up, bear one out, befriend, champion, come to defense of, cover for, endorse, espouse, exculpate, exonerate, explain, go to bat for, guarantee, justify, maintain, plead, prove a case, put in a good word, rationalize, recommend, ride shotgun for, say in defense, second, speak up for, stand by, stand up for, stick up for, stonewall, support, sustain, thump for, uphold, vindicate, warrant |
| Antonyms: | deny, forsake, renounce |
| Main Entry: | define |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | give description |
| Synonyms: | ascertain, assign, call a spade a spade, characterize, construe, decide, delineate, denominate, denote, describe, designate, detail, determine, dub, elucidate, entitle, etch, exemplify, explain, expound, formalize, illustrate, interpret, label, lay it out, nail it down, name, prescribe, represent, specify, spell out, tag, translate |
| Antonyms: | confuse, distort, tangle, twist |
| Main Entry: | develop |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | unfold; be made known |
| Synonyms: | account for, acquire, actualize, disclose, disentangle, elaborate, evolve, exhibit, explain, explicate, foretell, form, materialize, produce, reach, realize, recount, state, uncoil, uncover, unfurl, unravel, unroll, untwist, unwind |
| Main Entry: | discourse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | discuss, speak about |
| Synonyms: | argue, chew*, comment, commentate, confab, confer, converse, debate, declaim, descant, develop, dilate upon, dispute, dissert, dissertate, elaborate, enlarge, expand, expatiate, explain, expound, give a meeting, harangue, hold forth, lecture, modulate, orate, perorate, remark, sermonize, talk, treat, voice |
| Antonyms: | be quiet |
| Main Entry: | discuss |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | talk over with another |
| Synonyms: | altercate, argue, bounce off, canvass, compare notes, confabulate, confer, consider, consult with, contend, contest, converse, debate, deliberate, descant, discept, discourse about, dispute, dissert, dissertate, examine, exchange views on, explain, figure, get together, go into, groupthink, hash over, hold forth, jaw, kick about, knock around, moot, put heads together, reason about, review, sift, take up, thrash out, toss around, ventilate, weigh |
| Antonyms: | be quiet |
| Main Entry: | educate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | teach information, experience |
| Synonyms: | brainwash*, brief, civilize, coach, cultivate, develop, discipline, drill, drum into, edify, enlighten, exercise, explain, foster, improve, indoctrinate, inform, instruct, let in on, mature, nurture, put hip, put through the grind, rear, school, show the ropes, train, tutor |
| Antonyms: | learn |