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:
"I didn't know what to feel; I couldn't even feel scared in such a situation. Even now I don't know what to feel, and I don't know how to explain."
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
In fact, Wright didn’t explain things so much as conduct a master class in weaseling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
A chairman who avoids discussing the outlook can’t explain the committee’s decisions and surrenders a tool for steering it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The discovery may help explain why people living in similar environments can face very different cancer risks.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
I hate that I can’t find the words to explain what I know is true.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
"The summers are getting hotter, which is great for the ice cream sales," he explains.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Lonely in the Future,” which in part explains why the Strokes have no wish to replicate past glories, is the most direct song on the record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Wadsworth explains that if you lose glow worms in an area, they are lost forever unless you carry out a reintroduction program.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The 40-year Treasury-bond bull market rested on three supports, and almost nobody explains all three, because each belongs to a different tribe of economists.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
“My brother,” she explains to you, dipping her paintbrush into the light green paint.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
If Jack the Ripper had been identified and the case explained, would Jack be a source of fascination now?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
For reasons that have not been explained, authorities did not charge Quintero with Franco’s murder until 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"I'd explained to her that knitting was the only thing helping my mother through the grief, it was giving her something to live for... It was just cruel."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
And if the management team of an otherwise strong company can “manage expectations” properly, an otherwise good growth story can become an even better one, Nelson explained during an interview with MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
After Papa had explained about helping wishes, I still had one more thing I wanted to ask him.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
He drew a distinction between explaining how the Fed would respond to different scenarios, which he thinks is valuable, and hinting too strongly at a specific move.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
A single physically consistent theory capable of explaining both Jupiter's and Saturn's moon systems could also help scientists understand planets and moons outside the Solar System.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
It also means a banned user can create a new account - although FabSwingers says it can detect this, without explaining how it does so.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Dodger utility man Kiké Hernandez said he wasn’t going, either, explaining that he was busy rehabbing an injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
He came to a passage explaining why banks felt they needed credit default swaps at all.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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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