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

David Fetherstonhaugh, an investment strategist at VistaShares, thinks that second-quarter results from chip stocks and other Big Tech companies such as Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft will help shed light on whether tech’s rebound is sustainable.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

The goal of playwrights grappling seriously with what it means to be an American today isn’t to score social media points but to shed light on the fractured reality of our collective experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026

Christine Idzelis shed light on how leveraged exchange-traded funds were spicing up the SpaceX trade in the wake of the company’s IPO, for good and bad.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

"But our result can shed light on and help people to better understand the concept when applying it to future work."

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

Soon after, a friend emailed Kathy a document that seemed to shed light on the state of mind of the soldiers and law-enforcement agencies working in New Orleans at the time.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

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