simplify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to make less complicated, clearer, or easier
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maths to reduce (an equation, fraction, etc) to a simpler form by cancellation of common factors, regrouping of terms in the same variable, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonsimplificationnoun
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simplificationnoun
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simplificatornoun
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simplifiernoun
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supersimplifyverb (used with object)
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simplificativeadjective
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unsimplifiedadjective
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unsimplifyingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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simplifysimple
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simplifiessimple
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have simplifiedperfect
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has simplifiedperfect
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am simplifyingprogressive
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are simplifyingprogressive
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is simplifyingprogressive
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have been simplifyingperfect progressive
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has been simplifyingperfect progressive
Past
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simplifiedsimple
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had simplifiedperfect
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was simplifyingprogressive
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were simplifyingprogressive
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had been simplifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of simplify
First recorded in 1645–55; from French simplifier, from Medieval Latin simplificāre “to make simple,” equivalent to Latin simpli-, combining form of simplus simple + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
To simplify something is to make it less complex and easier to understand. When you simplify, you make things clearer. Since simple things have less parts or complexity, when you simplify, you're eliminating the clutter and reducing something to its essence. For example, if a speech is long and confusing, the person giving it might need to simplify their ideas: make them clearer. Teachers are good at simplifying; they take complex ideas and make them easier for students to understand. If you don't understand what someone is telling you, ask them to simplify it.
Vocabulary lists containing simplify
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 8
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Algebra
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Algebra
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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.
To greatly simplify, the 14th Amendment was originally a response to a Supreme Court decision, the Dred Scott case, that said freed Black slaves could not be U.S. citizens.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
Research how you’ll gain access to cash abroad; an international debit card such as the Wise Card can simplify your cash management.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
Schemes elsewhere in the UK are launching without glass to keep costs down and simplify cross-border systems.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
It eliminates an expensive requirement to build manufactured housing on permanent steel frames, streamlines environmental reviews, and incentivizes cities to provide preapproved home designs, which will simplify things for governments, regulators, and builders.
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
“You simplify everything, being without understanding. Your views are so limited it is impossible to explain to you.”
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
