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
-
explainernoun
-
explanatornoun
-
overexplainverb
-
preexplainverb
-
reexplainverb (used with object)
-
explainableadjective
-
misexplainedadjective
-
nonexplainableadjective
-
unexplainableadjective
-
unexplainedadjective
-
unexplainingadjective
-
well-explainedadjective
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unexplainablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
explainsimple
-
explainssimple
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have explainedperfect
-
has explainedperfect
-
am explainingprogressive
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are explainingprogressive
-
is explainingprogressive
-
have been explainingperfect progressive
-
has been explainingperfect progressive
Past
-
explainedsimple
-
had explainedperfect
-
was explainingprogressive
-
were explainingprogressive
-
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:
Stevens has also refused to explain her apparently spur-of-the-moment decision to switch sides; as of Saturday, she was still telling fellow Democrats that she supported El-Sayed.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
Winter said it was an "extremely curious feature" of the case that Brand "obviously genuinely believed that they were consenting because that's the only thing that would explain why his behaviour was normal."
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
In this environment, strong foundational knowledge of a topic or domain becomes even more important, as it helps students identify the right questions to ask and explain why those questions matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
If you also expect to leave money to your children in a will or trust, you might want to explain to them that your assistance now will reduce their inheritance later.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
The more he tried to explain, the more questions he had to field.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Aditi Shrikant explains why it’s such a phenomenon.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
It is still unclear who is to blame for the cyber-attacks and whether the two incidents are connected - the BBC's cyber correspondent Joe Tidy explains what we know so far.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
"The surprising thing is that it is precisely the positions that the molecule avoids when at rest that conduct electricity best. It is only the rotation that makes these positions accessible," explains Léon Martin.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
"I always saw images and videos, TikToks and social media generally," Angela explains.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
“My brother,” she explains to you, dipping her paintbrush into the light green paint.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
“I was like, ‘What are the world’s craziest residential pools?’ and when I searched online, this came up,” he explained.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
The park is home to 120 "collection birds", as well as wild birds, he explained.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Erik Seiffert, a paleontologist at the University of Southern California and co-author of the study, explained how the evidence has changed his understanding of ape origins.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
Learning I was autistic was like a massive unlock that explained so many of my past struggles and ongoing challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
The charm had sounded so clever when she’d explained it to him yesterday.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
About three weeks later, Boerner talked with all 30,000 employees, explaining “this is what the next, call it, five to seven years look like.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Until now, the same researchers mostly did both the glamorous part of research, solving, and the less glamorous part, verifying and explaining.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The call was "frank and substantive", Stubb said, explaining that the war's outcome will "have a direct impact on our and the broader European security".
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Beyond explaining a previously mysterious cause of intestinal inflammation, the discovery could have important implications for patient care.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Toby had put parentheses after exponents when explaining PEMDAS, even though the order was literally parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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