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:
This kind of generosity might help explain why his activism - and that of his some-time mentor Robinson - have such a strong Christian message now.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Global warming is thought to explain the trend in social wasps shrinking in size over the last 100 years.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Schonfeld said adults should explain that “this wasn’t done by a country. It was done by a group of people who came from one country or a particular background.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
"We explain how our sector works. There's a great deal of integrity in this profession. Otherwise, you don't last long."
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Professor Callaway will explain, since this is his area of expertise.”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
"We therefore have to reconcile modern security requirements with the need to preserve historic buildings and comply with France's heritage regulations," local mayor Théo Caviezel explains.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
But in this week’s Don’t Short Yourself newsletter, Genna Contino explains why prenuptial agreements have become popular among young adults, and why she has decided to enter one before she gets married in 2028.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
That’s the Five Ps at work, his father explains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Alex Kirshner explains why Michigan’s latest controversy has spectators contemplating the nature of time itself.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2026
Doody explains that he has two objectives: to help those afflicted with leprosy and to raise public awareness of the disease.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
"The sonographer described everything to me, and explained why what she was seeing meant that everything looked good," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
She explained that she was charging everyone who attended because it had been an expensive meal.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
“It’s for a class on the Holocaust,” she explained.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
So ingratiating, in fact, that one takes one’s seat at one’s peril, as will be explained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Maybe it was because his skin color matched my own, or maybe it was because of the way he explained it, but I hadn’t asked for a voluntary deactivation that day.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Ms. Korsgaard draws on quite a few of them in explaining the cultural significance of butterflies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
"I didn't know he had made the trip," Cabilan said, explaining she only found out later from his wife.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Her sister wrote her a letter explaining why she could not come to their wedding, describing "terrible nightmares" and the worry that she would never see her again.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Rowing, like life, is a constant state of resetting yourself,” says Teagan, explaining the four-stage cycle of a stroke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
“Someone graffitiing the door in Yiddish,” said Clara, before explaining to Molly what they had found.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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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