explain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
explains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
explained,
past participle, past
-
explaining
present participle
-
to make plain or clear; render understandable or intelligible.
to explain an obscure point.
- Synonyms:
- explicate
- Antonyms:
- confuse
-
to make known in detail.
to explain how to do something.
-
to assign a meaning to; interpret.
How can you explain such a silly remark?
-
to make clear the cause or reason of; account for.
I cannot explain his strange behavior.
- Synonyms:
- justify
verb (used without object)
-
explains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
explained,
past participle, past
-
explaining
present participle
verb phrase
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to make (something) comprehensible, esp by giving a clear and detailed account of the relevant structure, operation, surrounding circumstances, etc
-
(tr) to justify or attempt to justify (oneself) by giving reasons for one's actions or words
Usage
What are other ways to say explain?
To explain something is to make it plain or clear, or to render it understandable or intelligible. How does explain compare to synonyms elucidate, expound, and interpret? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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explainernoun
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explanatornoun
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overexplainverb
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preexplainverb
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reexplainverb (used with object)
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explainableadjective
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misexplainedadjective
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nonexplainableadjective
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unexplainableadjective
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unexplainedadjective
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unexplainingadjective
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well-explainedadjective
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unexplainablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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explainsimple
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explainssimple
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have explainedperfect
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has explainedperfect
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am explainingprogressive
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are explainingprogressive
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is explainingprogressive
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have been explainingperfect progressive
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has been explainingperfect progressive
Past
-
explainedsimple
-
had explainedperfect
-
was explainingprogressive
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were explainingprogressive
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had been explainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of explain
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English explanen, from Latin explānāre “to smooth out, make intelligible, spread out on flat surface”; see origin at ex- 1, plane 1
Explanation
To explain something is to define it, show how it works, or just tell what it is. Explaining helps people understand. If you know football really well, then you could probably explain it to a non-fan. Explaining makes things clearer. A lot of teaching is explaining — telling how something works. Also, if you do something wrong, people will ask you to explain your actions. Explaining can help someone "get it" — whatever "it" is.
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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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:
They explain how this has worked in the past and how it could look in the modern day, incorporating constitutional meaning within your community, at your day job, and in your personal life.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
These attempts are longstanding and help explain why the U.S. is fighting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
It may help explain why the early Universe underwent rapid and remarkably uniform expansion in all directions, a process known as inflation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Bring me an idea and I’ll explain why it can’t, shouldn’t, and won’t happen,” the site said, followed by a box encouraging users to type in a query.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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
The BBC's Tessa Wong explains everything you need to know about his upcoming debut.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
As Weber explains, "they send the newly formed nuclei of their daughter cells gliding across long distances to repopulate the damaged area of the brain and knit the astrocyte network back together."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Robinson explains what Ron’s feeling in that moment in a way that perfectly encapsulates what it’s like watching “The Chair Company”: “He’s happy, scared and exhilarated.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Sifting back through the data to 2021, Price found changes in net positioning explains 85% of copper’s price move, so it can be observed that speculative flows have become the dominant price catalyst.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
In his remarks to the US House of Representatives in 1952, he explains that his bill intends to provide permanent residency to “a most distinguished and courageous woman.”
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Lower gas prices largely explained the tame readings on wholesale prices in the past two months, but the cost of other key commodities have also slackened.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
"If congenital transmission can occur in non-venereal treponematoses, then we need to rethink how we interpret skeletal evidence in the past," Dr. Vlok explained.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
This "weighs down the droplets," which "grow from a few micrometres to several millimetres: up to two or three. They fall, and it rains," explained Yarmohammed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“They’re sitting in the chair for hours and hours, so we’re making sure that our choreography isn’t messing with something that takes so long to create,” she explained.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Not that kind of lockdown,” Etta explained, putting a latex-gloved hand on his shaking shoulder.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
As a whole, Sfeir said Orange County has shown strong job growth in the last few years, explaining its representation on the list of income risers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
But she told me that Gould’s three words come to her when she’s behind in a game, or explaining the disconnect between the company’s results and the market’s perception to employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
People rely heavily on language when presenting a problem, discussing possible solutions, or explaining how they reached a conclusion.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
The predominant theme explaining copper’s popularity is its new end-uses in the build-out of data centers as well as for electrification and decarbonization.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
These improvements bettered the quality of everything ranging from radios, to television sets, to small electronic calculators, yet the agency hadn’t done a good job of explaining these benefits to the public.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
