Synonyms

illustrate

American

[il-uh-streyt, ih-luhs-treyt] / ˈɪl əˌstreɪt, ɪˈlʌs treɪt /

verb (used with object)

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)

to clarify one's words, writings, etc., with examples.

To prevent misunderstandings, let me illustrate.

illustrate British

/ 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

"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

Other Word Forms

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Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

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, luster ¹, -ate ¹

Explanation

To illustrate is to make something more clear or visible. Children's books are illustrated with pictures. An example can illustrate an abstract idea. The word illustrate comes from the Latin illustrare 'to light up or enlighten.' Pictures in a book enlighten the reader, and a good example can enlighten someone on a complex topic. Another use: The government's actions illustrate how out of touch it is with the people. The history of this word illustrates how language changes over time, and how knowing the original meaning can help you understand the word in a deeper way.

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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.

The monthly jobs reports from January through May help illustrate these trends.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

“It’ll basically illustrate, if we don’t already realize it, that walkability has been sort of a very forgotten stepchild of all of our transportation planning and building over the years.”

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

Mr. Elwes, a mathematical logician and professor at the University of Leeds, enumerates a multitude of such anecdotes—delightful, insightful, informative—to illustrate the bigger picture in “Huge Numbers.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

To illustrate: This year the hyperscalers are set to spend around $700 billion on data centers.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

Ignatius limped around Mr. Clyde to illustrate, his desert boots scuffing along the oily cement.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023