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:
For Rallabandi, one of the most important aspects of the study is that a relatively simple physical process can explain complicated motion seen in the real world.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The WSJ’s Benoît Morenne and Collin Eaton explain how a ban might work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"We showed that that's the only ingredient you need to explain these observations."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
That may help explain why smokers tend to drink more coffee and why people who quit can suddenly find their usual cup feels much stronger than before.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Even if I’d wanted to explain the Cafeteria Incident, there wasn’t time.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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“I used it to describe the context … of these stories on the record,” Kelela explains about the Gotham visual concept.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"Although lipids make up only a small proportion of rice, they are critical in determining its nutritional value," explains lead author Associate Professor Siddabasave Gowda.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
More broadly, willingness to expedite drugs to desperate patients doesn’t mean standards have been lowered, explains Ipsita Smolinski, a healthcare policy consultant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The BBC's North America editor Sarah Smith explains the two reasons that are keeping the US president from regulating AI.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Educated guesses at what a particular block of cipher text might actually mean,” Welchman explains.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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The new research suggests that many of these puzzling patterns can instead be explained by one basic process: collisions between neighboring floes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
They highlighted cases of police misuse elsewhere, such as officers stalking romantic partners, and explained how Flock’s system can create “heat maps,” showing where a vehicle has been over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Northern Ireland's top judge has explained a court's decision to grant convicted killer Gary Anderson temporary release to attend his father's funeral, despite opposition from prison authorities.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The court explained that the status quo on mifepristone would remain in place until the Supreme Court deals with a certiorari petition in the case or the 5th Circuit rules on Louisiana’s current appeal.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 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
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But arguably more important than the art collection or the political strategy, and perhaps more important even than the dues collection, in explaining the Communist Party’s unlikely longevity, is the building we were in itself.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
But Laforge is the most skeptical about this strategy, explaining that its estimates have been off in the region of hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
"We also plan to stay here our whole lives," George adds, explaining that they are prepared to ride out any dips in the property market.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Mr. Amodei et al. would do themselves and the country a service by explaining that commonplace principle to Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
My aunt pulled me close as we passed along the jasmine, explaining in a hushed voice what she thought was Mr. Drysdale’s motivation for doing the killing.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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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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