illustrate
to furnish (a book, magazine, etc.) with drawings, pictures, or other artwork intended for explanation, elucidation, or adornment.
to make clear or intelligible, as by examples or analogies; exemplify.
Archaic. to enlighten.
to clarify one's words, writings, etc., with examples: To prevent misunderstandings, let me illustrate.
Origin of illustrate
1Other words from illustrate
- il·lus·trat·a·ble, adjective
- o·ver·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), o·ver·il·lus·trat·ed, o·ver·il·lus·trat·ing.
- pre·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), pre·il·lus·trat·ed, pre·il·lus·trat·ing.
- re·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), re·il·lus·trat·ed, re·il·lus·trat·ing.
- su·per·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), su·per·il·lus·trat·ed, su·per·il·lus·trat·ing.
Words Nearby illustrate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use illustrate in a sentence
Now, that last question illustrated the potential downside of asking sensitive questions.
Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question? (Ep. 451) | Stephen J. Dubner | February 11, 2021 | FreakonomicsThat illustrates just how much the creative development process has changed and how much can be achieved asynchronously, he added.
Businesses adopt ‘asynchronous working’ to fight remote-working fatigue and encourage cross-border collaboration | Jessica Davies | February 9, 2021 | DigidayWhen talking about soundscapes, print articles can only do so much to illustrate the issue.
Underwater Noise Pollution Is Disrupting Ocean Life—But We Can Fix It | Aryn Baker | February 5, 2021 | TimeAccording to Mackinac, the example Overton often used to illustrate the window’s movement is the changed public perception of school choice.
Betsy DeVos is gone — but ‘DeVosism’ sure isn’t. Look at what Florida, New Hampshire and other states are doing. | Valerie Strauss | February 5, 2021 | Washington PostBusiness needs to work in conjunction with government because, as the pandemic has illustrated all too clearly, when it comes to a global crisis, they depend on governments with their powers of monetary creation and taxation to bail them out.
The Public Trusts Businesses Over Government to Solve Our Problems. But We Need Both to Try | Colin Mayer | February 3, 2021 | Time
This video, courtesy of BuzzFeed, helps to illustrate this phenomenon.
This is likely a lowball number but it has the merit to illustrate the tradeoff that raising the minimum wage requires.
And as the above mentioned clips illustrate, Sesame Street is really good at staying relevant.
His maquettes, or models, illustrate this, too, in their budding materiality.
As if to illustrate the rampant sexism that still exists, hackers threatened to release nude photos of her after her speech.
The Gender-Pay Gap: It’s Real, and Yes, It’s Sexism | Monica Potts | September 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLet me illustrate: Last week, month, or year you saw a military procession pass along the streets.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)Nothing can more clearly illustrate Napoleon's dictum, "A la guerre les hommes ne sont rien, c'est un homme qui est tout."
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonHe paused, and to illustrate the imperious humor of the Scot, he waved his fingers and a red wrister at me.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydA few notes will serve to illustrate the chief subjects for care and some important items in fitting instruments properly.
Violins and Violin Makers | Joseph PearceIt is enjoined in statutes of perpetual moral obligation, that illustrate the ten precepts of the law.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John Cunningham
British Dictionary definitions for illustrate
/ (ˈɪləˌstreɪt) /
to clarify or explain by use of examples, analogy, etc
(tr) to be an example or demonstration of
(tr) to explain or decorate (a book, text, etc) with pictures
(tr) an archaic word for enlighten
Origin of illustrate
1Derived forms of illustrate
- illustratable, adjective
- illustrative, adjective
- illustratively, adverb
- illustrator, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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