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.
See Examples For:
Purchases by Hengli and other teapots also explain how China continues to provide a financial lifeline to Tehran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Many of the diet’s principles are surprisingly simple, which could explain its enduring popularity and effectiveness and why nutrition experts often describe it as an eating pattern rather than a diet.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
What doesn’t change is our impulse to explain complicated social and economic changes by assigning a personality to an entire generation.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The results help explain why treatments such as MariTide can be effective.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
“And that’s good. I didn’t want to have to try to explain one of the greatest things in the world. Shall we?”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
It’s a catchy idea that explains why figures like Peter Parker, Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter have a lasting hold on their fans in ways that other heroes don’t.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Yang, 38, also explains financial concepts in his videos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The BBC's Australia correspondent Katy Watson recaps the case and explains some of the reasons why Patterson has chosen to appeal.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"Abdominal obesity reduces circulating vitamin D, and that deficiency impairs the immune system, exacerbating the chronic inflammation caused by excess fat and drastically increasing the risk of mortality," Alexandre explains to Agência FAPESP.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
The six of us listen in silence as she explains the audacious plan.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Herd explained that there is a desire to hold more water on this type of land, particularly in preparation for the dry summer months.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Sitting in matching recliners earlier this summer, she and her mother explained that they once had a quiet life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Protecting the president is important, but there was a way we could protect the president without putting other lives at risk. We didn’t want to use the press and staffers as decoys,” Lockhart explained.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“He explained practical things like colon cancer and bowel movements,” Winfrey told Emmy Magazine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
He had slithered into the kitchen, explained about the peanut-butter-eating lizard, and his mother had realized that it was probably feeding time in the lizard world.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
If valence quarks alone carried the baryon number, explaining the excess away from the beamline would require all three valence quarks from one colliding proton to stop near the center of the detector.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
"We just filed our motion in state court, explaining why the state charges must be dismissed under New York's double jeopardy protections," said Mangione's lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Penny went through the whole thing, explaining: Use the frequent flier miles for the best deal for the business class tickets and use cash for the ones in the back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
When evacuation warnings started rolling in on Monday, Morris, who manages Glen Oaks Big Sur, spent the day explaining the situation to guests at the property and those who had reservations in the coming days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
“It makes a lot of sense. Thank you for explaining it to me.”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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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