clarify
Americanverb (used with object)
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clarifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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clarified,
past participle, past
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clarifying
present participle
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to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or intelligible; to free from ambiguity.
- Synonyms:
- resolve, elucidate, illuminate, explain
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to remove solid matter from (a liquid); to make into a clear or pellucid liquid.
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to free (the mind, intelligence, etc.) from confusion; revive.
The short nap clarified his thoughts.
verb (used without object)
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clarifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clarified,
past participle, past
-
clarifying
present participle
verb
-
to make or become clear or easy to understand
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to make or become free of impurities
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to make (fat, butter, etc) clear by heating, etc, or (of fat, etc) to become clear as a result of such a process
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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clarificationnoun
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clarifiernoun
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nonclarifiedadjective
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unclarifiedadjective
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unclarifyingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clarifysimple
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clarifiessimple
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have clarifiedperfect
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has clarifiedperfect
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am clarifyingprogressive
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are clarifyingprogressive
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is clarifyingprogressive
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have been clarifyingperfect progressive
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has been clarifyingperfect progressive
Past
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clarifiedsimple
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had clarifiedperfect
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was clarifyingprogressive
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were clarifyingprogressive
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had been clarifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clarify
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French clarifier, from Late Latin clārificāre, equivalent to Latin clār(us) “clear” + -ificāre -ify
Explanation
Clarify means to clear up confusion and make it all understandable. In a heart-breaking text, she clarified that she never ever wanted to see him again. It also means to remove impurities in a liquid; you clarify butter by gently heating it. Clarify and clear are related, of course, and clear means you can see right through it. If you clarify your intention or your meaning, others will understand it clearly. If you aren't clear at the outset, you might find the need to clarify what you want later.
Vocabulary lists containing clarify
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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:
Ask your doctor to clarify beyond whether they are “abnormal” or not, but what they mean for you.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
His office later sought to clarify the remarks, insisting "there can't be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules".
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The NFL and the NFL Players Assn. released a joint statement Wednesday to clarify some of the on-field celebrations that are and are not allowed during NFL games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Except to clarify certain points about the short-roping incident, she requested that I not quote any part of that dialogue in this book, and I have honored that request.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
“Or maybe it wasn’t hard to write but it was hard to get to,” she clarifies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Mr. Dolan clarifies that there are no guarantees:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The proposed regulations unveiled this week “really clarifies a lot of what employers were waiting for,” said Dorian Smith, leader of Mercer’s law and policy practice.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s not that the clothes were ever disappointing, she clarifies — it’s just that the anticipation was such a big part of the process.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
“But this is not, I suppose, a matter for the police. A civil, not a legal, matter,” she clarifies.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
When Alma and Elisabet retreat to a seaside summer residence, presumably to facilitate the actress’s recovery, most viewers will assume that the matter will be clarified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The broader genetic analysis finally clarified the coral's evolutionary position.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he had requested the pause until the facts of the incident had been "clarified".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
"I am suspending their use in the high school student protests until the facts of the incident have been clarified," said Nunez.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The subprime mortgage market had a special talent for obscuring what needed to be clarified.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
A new report discussing OpenAI’s revenue progress seems to be clarifying issues that had been spooking investors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Waller, the assistant police chief, also detailed how police were — and weren’t — using their cameras, including clarifying that vehicles, not people, are tracked.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
There is also another lesson here, one more practical than philosophical: Never ever do substantial professional work without clarifying terms first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The commission's Affordable Housing Act aims to provide cities with legal cover, clarifying when authorities can take action without falling foul of EU single market rules.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Lyra could see the intensity in his body, saw his jaw working, and then saw an authority descend over it, calming and relaxing and clarifying.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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.
