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

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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.”

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Example Sentences

The latest deal doesn’t mark a turning point for Lilly, as the company has spelled out its AI ambitions for years.

From Barron's

The final rally of the "no" campaign was on Rome's majestic Piazza del Popolo, where some spelled out "Vote No" in white tape on the cobblestones.

From BBC

The general tone of the film is anticlimactic, but Thomas and Duke are on trajectories that spell out “tragedy” in furnace smoke across a northern English sky.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Related Words

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