shed light on

Idioms  

1. Also, throw light on. Clarify or explain, as in I was hoping the professor would shed light on how he arrived at his theory, or Can anyone throw some light on where these plants came from? Originally, from about 1200, these expressions were used literally, in the sense of “illuminate,” but they soon were used figuratively as well.

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Example Sentences

Understanding these differences could shed light on why addiction risks sometimes vary between men and women and may help guide more personalized approaches to treatment.

From Science Daily

The research was published in Cell under the title "Bronze Age Yersinia pestis genome from sheep sheds light on hosts and evolution of a prehistoric plague lineage."

From Science Daily

A new study sheds light on the tense relationship between wolves and cougars in Yellowstone National Park.

From Science Daily

New research sheds light on how we know when to stop scratching an itch.

From The Wall Street Journal

An MoD source said it would "ruthlessly pursue any information that can shed light on this scandal".

From BBC

Related Words

• analyze
• clear up
• define
• formulate
• interpret
• resolve
• simplify
• spell out