shed light on

Idioms  

1. Also, throw light on. Clarify or explain, as in I was hoping the professor would shed light on how he arrived at his theory, or Can anyone throw some light on where these plants came from? Originally, from about 1200, these expressions were used literally, in the sense of “illuminate,” but they soon were used figuratively as well.

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Example Sentences

Minutes from their two-day meeting last month, which will be published Wednesday afternoon, could shed light on whether firms are passing these higher prices to their consumers.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

There was undoubtedly support from some Labour backbenchers, pointing to ongoing work to shed light on the process surrounding Lord Mandelson's appointment and rejecting the notion another inquiry was necessary.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

That work found that ancient southern Africans carried genetic variation outside the range seen in living people and identified Homo sapiens specific variants that may shed light on adaptation and evolution within Africa.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026

ASML, a near monopolist in lithography machines, reports earnings, expected to shed light on the AI and memory processor cycles.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Thomas waited, hoping that Newt or Alby would have a positive reaction to the news, maybe even have further information to shed light on the mystery.

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Related Words

• analyze
• clear up
• define
• formulate
• interpret
• resolve
• simplify
• spell out