illustrate

[ il-uh-streyt, ih-luhs-treyt ]

/ ˈɪl əˌstreɪt, ɪˈlʌs treɪt /

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See synonyms for: illustrate / illustrated / illustrates / illustratable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), il·lus·trat·ed, il·lus·trat·ing.

to furnish (a book, magazine, etc.) with drawings, pictures, or other artwork intended for explanation, elucidation, or adornment.

to make clear or intelligible, as by examples or analogies; exemplify.

Archaic. to enlighten.

verb (used without object), il·lus·trat·ed, il·lus·trat·ing.

to clarify one's words, writings, etc., with examples: To prevent misunderstandings, let me illustrate.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of illustrate

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin illustrātus, past participle of illustrāre “to illuminate, make clear, give glory to”; see il-¹, luster¹, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM illustrate

il·lus·trat·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), o·ver·il·lus·trat·ed, o·ver·il·lus·trat·ing.pre·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), pre·il·lus·trat·ed, pre·il·lus·trat·ing.re·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), re·il·lus·trat·ed, re·il·lus·trat·ing.

su·per·il·lus·trate, verb (used with object), su·per·il·lus·trat·ed, su·per·il·lus·trat·ing.

Words nearby illustrate

illusionism, illusionist, illusive, illusory, illust., illustrate, illustrated, illustration, illustrational, illustrative, illustrator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use illustrate in a sentence

Now, that last question illustrated the potential downside of asking sensitive questions.
Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question? (Ep. 451)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 11, 2021|Freakonomics
That illustrates just how much the creative development process has changed and how much can be achieved asynchronously, he added.
Businesses adopt ‘asynchronous working’ to fight remote-working fatigue and encourage cross-border collaboration|Jessica Davies|February 9, 2021|Digiday
When talking about soundscapes, print articles can only do so much to illustrate the issue.
Underwater Noise Pollution Is Disrupting Ocean Life—But We Can Fix It|Aryn Baker|February 5, 2021|Time
According to Mackinac, the example Overton often used to illustrate the window’s movement is the changed public perception of school choice.
Betsy DeVos is gone — but ‘DeVosism’ sure isn’t. Look at what Florida, New Hampshire and other states are doing.|Valerie Strauss|February 5, 2021|Washington Post

Business needs to work in conjunction with government because, as the pandemic has illustrated all too clearly, when it comes to a global crisis, they depend on governments with their powers of monetary creation and taxation to bail them out.
The Public Trusts Businesses Over Government to Solve Our Problems. But We Need Both to Try|Colin Mayer|February 3, 2021|Time
This video, courtesy of BuzzFeed, helps to illustrate this phenomenon.
What Is Privilege?|The Daily Beast Video|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is likely a lowball number but it has the merit to illustrate the tradeoff that raising the minimum wage requires.
How a GOP Senate Can Help the Poor|Veronique de Rugy|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And as the above mentioned clips illustrate, Sesame Street is really good at staying relevant.
‘Sesame Street’ Is Middle-Aged and Awesome|Emily Shire|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His maquettes, or models, illustrate this, too, in their budding materiality.
Frank Gehry Is Architecture’s Mad Genius|Sarah Moroz|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As if to illustrate the rampant sexism that still exists, hackers threatened to release nude photos of her after her speech.
The Gender-Pay Gap: It’s Real, and Yes, It’s Sexism|Monica Potts|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let me illustrate: Last week, month, or year you saw a military procession pass along the streets.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Nothing can more clearly illustrate Napoleon's dictum, "A la guerre les hommes ne sont rien, c'est un homme qui est tout."
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
He paused, and to illustrate the imperious humor of the Scot, he waved his fingers and a red wrister at me.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
A few notes will serve to illustrate the chief subjects for care and some important items in fitting instruments properly.
Violins and Violin Makers|Joseph Pearce
It is enjoined in statutes of perpetual moral obligation, that illustrate the ten precepts of the law.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for illustrate

illustrate

/ (ˈɪləˌstreɪt) /

verb

to clarify or explain by use of examples, analogy, etc

(tr) to be an example or demonstration of

(tr) to explain or decorate (a book, text, etc) with pictures

(tr) an archaic word for enlighten

Derived forms of illustrate

illustratable, adjectiveillustrative, adjectiveillustratively, adverbillustrator, noun

Word Origin for illustrate

C16: from Latin illustrāre to make light, explain, from lustrāre to purify, brighten; see lustrum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

illustrate

Origin of illustrate

OTHER WORDS FROM illustrate

Words nearby illustrate

Words related to illustrate

How to use illustrate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for illustrate

Derived forms of illustrate

Word Origin for illustrate