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
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explainernoun
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explanatornoun
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overexplainverb
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preexplainverb
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reexplainverb (used with object)
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explainableadjective
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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
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explainsimple
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explainssimple
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have explainedperfect
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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
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explainedsimple
-
had explainedperfect
-
was explainingprogressive
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were explainingprogressive
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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:
But do they by themselves explain the form the protest movement has taken?
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The jury was told she tried to ask her daughter to explain but she said: "I can't tell you any more."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“The app did not explain any of that,” said Asad, a research analyst at crypto investment firm Bitwise Asset Management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
This may explain why he has no problem when white men have beards, as seen on his church leader, Doug Wilson, or the many celebrities the defense secretary likes to take photos with.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
“She’s a bit like Gran,” I told Karl, trying to explain her state of mind to him as best I could.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
She explains, "With traditional solar, we generally have electronics on the panel and a map that shows us exactly how much each panel is producing."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Mathias Clasen, the author of A Very Nervous Person’s Guide to Horror Movies, explains how jumpscares work, and how you can learn to love them—or at least tolerate them.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
"When we're able to maintain the same body weight and observe what happened in the body, we can directly isolate what physical exercise contributed to before weight loss," Moura explains.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
She explains how trans women DJs are at the forefront of new genres of heavy, beat-driven electronic music in the underground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“That explains the wildfire, I guess,” Akira said.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
At a final construction update held near the crossing Thursday, Robert Rock, lead landscape architect and principal designer for the crossing, explained that the soil in the area is rich in clay and silt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
At the time of the ball-tampering controversy, Smith explained it was devised by the "leadership group" of the Australian team on the third day of the third Test in Cape Town.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
It explained what clothing the kids needed to wear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"African football associations accept these deals because everything is taken care of. It saves them having to find opponents and organise friendlies," explained an expert on African football who asked not to be named.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Red had explained to me that rules are rules and the magic binds you to those rules.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
"Someone had ordered this target from the civilian side," Zhykovych said, without explaining.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
No more explaining why you need the money you worked so hard for.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The next step in convincing skeptical buyers and analysts will be less about selling the new Jaguar as a youthful, creative company, and more about explaining the car’s full driver-friendly capabilities, Glover said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The tennis star then shared a screenshot of the lengthy explanation she posted to Instagram explaining the rules and why she stopped play when she did.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
I struggle to explain myself, because explaining myself requires me to think about what happened, more than I want to, more than I ever have.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
