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.
The very history he so powerfully invokes to explain the 14th Amendment’s origins often becomes, in his jurisprudence, a reason to limit rather than enlarge its reach.
From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026
"It was a mix of feelings that is hard to explain."
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
You don’t have to explain why you give $100 rather than $400.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
Finra’s rules require banks to explain the reason for employee departures on their employment records, a portion of which is usually public.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
“No reason,” Elliot said, saving me from trying to explain the unexplainable.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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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