illustrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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illustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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illustrated,
past participle, past
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illustrating
present participle
-
to furnish (a book, magazine, etc.) with drawings, pictures, or other artwork intended for explanation, elucidation, or adornment.
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to make clear or intelligible, as by examples or analogies; exemplify.
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Archaic. to enlighten.
verb (used without object)
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illustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
illustrated,
past participle, past
-
illustrating
present participle
verb
-
to clarify or explain by use of examples, analogy, etc
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(tr) to be an example or demonstration of
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(tr) to explain or decorate (a book, text, etc) with pictures
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(tr) an archaic word for enlighten
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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illustratornoun
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overillustrateverb (used with object)
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preillustrateverb (used with object)
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reillustrateverb (used with object)
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superillustrateverb (used with object)
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illustratableadjective
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illustrativeadjective
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illustrativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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illustratesimple
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illustratessimple
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have illustratedperfect
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has illustratedperfect
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am illustratingprogressive
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are illustratingprogressive
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is illustratingprogressive
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have been illustratingperfect progressive
-
has been illustratingperfect progressive
Past
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illustratedsimple
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had illustratedperfect
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was illustratingprogressive
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were illustratingprogressive
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had been illustratingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing illustrate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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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:
“We’ve been really trying to illustrate that this tax incentive is not a burden on the state. It’s an investment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
But both illustrate how valuable it has become for food companies to arrive earlier — to understand appetite not merely after a preference has been expressed, but while it is still taking shape.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The point of the film was to illustrate that troops who don't directly fire weapons are still "under tremendous stress, high alertness and subject to exhaustion".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
To illustrate that point she brings up a 2021 case in which British doctors missed a child’s life-threatening condition, and her parents’ observations were ignored.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Before he peels away to hobnob, he says he has a thought about another way to illustrate the way attention works, and how easily it can be fractured in the modern world.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
It characterizes the lower court as engaging in “a string of speculation” about what the federal agencies might do when, and how that speculation illustrates that the state’s claims aren’t ripe for review.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
The property has its own illustrated map, drawn by Nina Rae Vaughn, the same artist who illustrates Disneyland’s official park maps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
His fee, however, illustrates how quickly the equation can change once a teenager proves himself at senior level.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The dispute between Aman and content creator Ryan Walker illustrates the growing tension between commercial enterprises and influencers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Another problem in probability illustrates how common coincidences may be in another context.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Then came illustrated guides purporting to explain how an anxious shopper might distinguish horse meat from cow meat by color, texture, fat and smell.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
The region's hardscrabble existence is perhaps best illustrated in Dollywood's full-size replica of the humble two-room log cabin where Parton grew up with her 11 brothers and sisters in Locust Ridge, outside Sevierville.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Inspired by the transient beauty of cherry blossoms, known in Japan as sakura — which is illustrated in their album cover, alongside a dark pegasus — much of the LP also hinges on melodrama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
That need was illustrated by the chaos and neglect captured in images and body-worn camera footage taken by police at Legacy.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
The menu above the bar is illustrated with a skull and crossbones, and it’s striking to see the skull smiling.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Since Galatasaray won the Uefa Cup in 2000, only one Turkish side has reached the semi-finals of a major Uefa competition, illustrating the gap that still exists between Turkey's biggest clubs and Europe's established powers.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
That’s more than 3% of the country’s adult population, illustrating the feverish extent of stock market speculation and the danger of leverage.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Most of these well-performing vehicles are larger products, illustrating the continued appeal of such vehicles in the United States.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
In the finale, the officers team up against the judges, illustrating the power of working together, like our family.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
A group of tourists with cameras around their necks huddled by the counter, some sampling stuffed clams, others pointing to a large chart illustrating fifty different varieties of North Atlantic fish.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
