spell out

British  

verb

1. to make clear, distinct, or explicit; clarify in detail

   let me spell out the implications

2. to read laboriously or with difficulty, working out each word letter by letter

3. to discern by study; puzzle out

---

spell out Idioms  

1. Make plain, clarify, as in We asked her to spell out her objectives . [c. 1940]

2. Read slowly and laboriously, as in He was only six but he managed to spell out the instructions . [Early 1800s]

3. Puzzle out, manage to understand with some effort, as in It took years before anyone could spell out the inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone . [Late 1600s] All three usages transfer spell in the sense of “proceed letter by letter.”

---

Example Sentences

When the Biden administration published new airline regulations in the Federal Register, it spelled out its reasoning.

From Los Angeles Times

Six long years after Harry roiled the royals with “Megxit,” a new chapter has emerged in the family dynamic, one that spells out possible futures for the monarchy itself.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet with the final remnant of muscular control in his right thumb, he spelled out letters at an adapted typewriter beside Edith.

From The Wall Street Journal

The antidote to anxiety in the investment arena is developing a trading strategy that spells out how and when to make portfolio changes.

From MarketWatch

Reform is the second party to publish a manifesto - a document which spells out the promises a party makes to voters.

From BBC

Related Words

• define
• describe
• expound
• illustrate
• justify
• point out