illustrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
illustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
illustrated,
past participle, past
-
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)
-
illustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
illustrated,
past participle, past
-
illustrating
present participle
verb
-
to clarify or explain by use of examples, analogy, etc
-
(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
-
illustratedsimple
-
had illustratedperfect
-
was illustratingprogressive
-
were illustratingprogressive
-
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
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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:
Those figures represent ticket sales, not profits, but illustrate the potential value of such an arrangement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
The mysterious effects of L. asiatica illustrate just how much remains to be learned about the fungal kingdom.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
The latest economic numbers amply illustrate the challenge of actually delivering them.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Other medical records, even a video of the signing, can help illustrate the absence of any coercion or undue influence.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
But even to pose that question is to illustrate the gap between ancient perspectives and our own expectations of mass literacy.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The spectacular heist illustrates the ability of North Korean cybercriminals to bypass surveillance systems and land enormous hauls that underwrite Pyongyang’s growing nuclear program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
That operating margin illustrates that Microsoft is able to retain about half of the revenue that it brings in after accounting for the cost of business operations.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
He writes in there, but it’s a workshop too: he illustrates and he crafts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The television ads case illustrates the conundrum of practical immunity.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
Here is a famous story called The Monty Hall Problem which I have included in this book because it illustrates what I mean.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
In her dissenting opinion, Justice Elena Kagan illustrated the consequences of eliminating these limits with the example of a single check from one individual for $551,300.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
The menus would be illustrated by hand, which sounds charming until you’ve spent an entire afternoon trying to get the shading right on a watercolor artichoke.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
The pair's duopoly - splitting all of the eight Grand Slam titles in 2024 and 2025 between them - was illustrated by the huge gap to the rest of the field.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
“The Boys” co-creator Darick Robertson illustrated the grinning gargoyle on its label.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Namibia illustrated for me how inseparable Africa’s past is from its present.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
A wave of apparent cyberattacks hit supermarket freezers in several European countries this week, spurring investigations and illustrating how even mundane physical infrastructure is vulnerable to hackers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
The team cited charts illustrating that temperature anomalies lead world food prices by about 12 months.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
During that relatively short period, Switzerland has lost nearly 20% of its total glacier ice volume, illustrating just how quickly the country's mountain landscapes are being transformed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
That sentiment cropped up repeatedly in interviews, too: Early guests seemed to believe the museum’s brochure, which notes that the galleries are about the “narrative art” of illustrating stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
For instance, in English it’s not obvious how to draw a picture of the common syllable -tion, but we could instead draw a picture illustrating the verb shun, which has the same pronunciation.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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