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

A lopsided moon popped up in the dusky sky, but it didn’t shed light on any Wonders.

From Literature

“Without the research base, it’s really hard to move forward with any other reforms,” he says, adding that a key finding would be data shedding light on the prevalence of gambling disorder.

From Barron's

The results also shed light on a long-standing puzzle in ocean ecology.

From Science Daily

The emails also shed light on the friendship between Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and Epstein.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beyond practical applications, the research also sheds light on natural plasmas found throughout space, including planetary rings and the Sun's atmosphere, where dust and magnetic fields constantly interact.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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