explain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
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
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overexplainverb
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preexplainverb
-
reexplainverb (used with object)
-
explainableadjective
-
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
-
explainsimple
-
explainssimple
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have explainedperfect
-
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
-
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:
I explain that I trust these experts over someone without a lot of experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
For years, she couldn't explain why - until she came across attachment theory.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
A chairman who avoids discussing the outlook can’t explain the committee’s decisions and surrenders a tool for steering it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The ambivalence among advisers’ views may help explain why they do not appear to have much impact on their clients.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Professor Callaway will explain, since this is his area of expertise.”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Part of the issue, he explains, is that initial assumptions around attachment theory have evolved since it was first developed.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 40-year Treasury-bond bull market rested on three supports, and almost nobody explains all three, because each belongs to a different tribe of economists.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Instead of handing over the actual text, the AI pulls out key ideas and explains them in simpler language -- something Yang thinks could be huge for students.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
This explains the outcry over the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposal to make quarterly reporting voluntary and allow semiannual reporting instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“The concept of chain links is a metaphor for unity between people,” Ama explains with a smile.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
"We put all our energy into creating protective firebreaks," he explained, but admitted "we are all scared in front of this situation."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The light-bodied red, Passeggiata, he explained, was a rosé gone wrong when winemakers forgot to remove the grapes’ skins at the correct time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
He sold the bonds — quietly, over nine months — and explained himself afterward.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
When temperatures rise, the females abandon their pups to hunt for food, he explained.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Other articles explained the science behind natural wonders: flowers, the human voice, or moon rays.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
He drew a distinction between explaining how the Fed would respond to different scenarios, which he thinks is valuable, and hinting too strongly at a specific move.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
A single physically consistent theory capable of explaining both Jupiter's and Saturn's moon systems could also help scientists understand planets and moons outside the Solar System.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
"It's the kind of headline you'd expect from M&S or Next," says retail analyst Natalie Berg, explaining that price cuts like this from such a low-cost retailer are surprising.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Dodger utility man Kiké Hernandez said he wasn’t going, either, explaining that he was busy rehabbing an injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
He came to a passage explaining why banks felt they needed credit default swaps at all.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
