explainer

American  

[ik-spley-ner] / ɪkˈspleɪ nər /

noun

1. a person, document, video, etc., that explains something (often used attributively).

   an explainer article that gives the reader background information about a news story.

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Etymology

Origin of explainer

First recorded in 1575–1600; explain ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Debut host Tina Fey, a former “SNL” star and head writer, started her monologue with a cheeky explainer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

In the broader conversation around the study, this very magazine ran an explainer on the trial and deemed it, overall, to be “shoddy science.”

From Slate • Jan. 30, 2026

Treasuries—see Barron’s explainer of the yen carry trade, which has funded U.S. government debt purchases for years.

From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025

Once the beneficiary turns 18, the account has to be converted to an IRA, and withdrawal rules on these accounts apply, the Schwab explainer noted.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

‘The third way is for you to make it plain to the explainer that he does not understand what he is explaining.’

From The Disentanglers by Lang, Andrew

Related Words

• linguist