spell out
Britishverb
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to make clear, distinct, or explicit; clarify in detail
let me spell out the implications
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to read laboriously or with difficulty, working out each word letter by letter
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to discern by study; puzzle out
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Make plain, clarify, as in We asked her to spell out her objectives . [c. 1940]
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Read slowly and laboriously, as in He was only six but he managed to spell out the instructions . [Early 1800s]
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We asked the pollster Mark Diffley to spell out some of the issues that Marra or Fagan will have to tackle.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Beneficiaries should look at their annual notice-of-change letter, which will spell out what may have changed in their current plan.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
The ruling did not spell out what duties a first assistant U.S. attorney can or cannot lawfully perform.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The main opposition Conservative Party said any help was welcome but called on Burnham to spell out how he planned to pay for the measure, due to come into force in April 2027.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
I would act as if I had no idea whatever of what they were talking about—and I was grateful when they chose not to spell out what they knew.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
