clarify
Americanverb (used with object)
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clarifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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clarified,
past participle, past
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clarifying
present participle
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to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or intelligible; to free from ambiguity.
- Synonyms:
- resolve, elucidate, illuminate, explain
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to remove solid matter from (a liquid); to make into a clear or pellucid liquid.
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to free (the mind, intelligence, etc.) from confusion; revive.
The short nap clarified his thoughts.
verb (used without object)
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clarifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clarified,
past participle, past
-
clarifying
present participle
verb
-
to make or become clear or easy to understand
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to make or become free of impurities
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to make (fat, butter, etc) clear by heating, etc, or (of fat, etc) to become clear as a result of such a process
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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clarificationnoun
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clarifiernoun
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nonclarifiedadjective
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unclarifiedadjective
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unclarifyingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clarifysimple
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clarifiessimple
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have clarifiedperfect
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has clarifiedperfect
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am clarifyingprogressive
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are clarifyingprogressive
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is clarifyingprogressive
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have been clarifyingperfect progressive
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has been clarifyingperfect progressive
Past
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clarifiedsimple
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had clarifiedperfect
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was clarifyingprogressive
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were clarifyingprogressive
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had been clarifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clarify
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French clarifier, from Late Latin clārificāre, equivalent to Latin clār(us) “clear” + -ificāre -ify
Explanation
Clarify means to clear up confusion and make it all understandable. In a heart-breaking text, she clarified that she never ever wanted to see him again. It also means to remove impurities in a liquid; you clarify butter by gently heating it. Clarify and clear are related, of course, and clear means you can see right through it. If you clarify your intention or your meaning, others will understand it clearly. If you aren't clear at the outset, you might find the need to clarify what you want later.
Vocabulary lists containing clarify
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
See Examples For:
While he has never accidentally bought the wrong company’s shares, he said he had to constantly clarify his subject when speaking to others in the industry: “Oh, this one? You mean that one?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Their results clarify how silver nanocatalysts improve solid oxide cell performance and show that both the location and mechanism of oxygen reactions change depending on how the cell is being used.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
She said information disseminated by local organizations and churches has helped to clarify things.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
She is quick to clarify what she means when she says English people do not know their own history.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
As their firm prospered, the character of each partner began to emerge and clarify.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
The proposed regulations unveiled this week “really clarifies a lot of what employers were waiting for,” said Dorian Smith, leader of Mercer’s law and policy practice.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The impact is muted because it instantly clarifies how needlessly trivial everything before it was.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Locke, 22, jokes that a lot of the time people are just handed producer credits, but clarifies "we actually put some effort in and took it seriously".
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
The bill, which clarifies the regulatory structure around digital assets, is making slow progress through Congress.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
My face must look confused, because he clarifies.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
An unnamed White House official later clarified that Trump was joking, the Wall Street Journal reported.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson has spoken publicly for the first time since Grand Slam Track went bankrupt, and has clarified details of payments to himself and competing athletes.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Cornell University has clarified that its dorm kitchens are for cooking food — not butchering bears.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Arday clarified to the Guardian newspaper the that £5 million fundraising for charity was done by a group of people over two decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
As Hazel continued to walk forward the sound clarified and she had to stop to take in what she was hearing.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
A spokeswoman for Cornyn was quoted by US media as saying he had reached an agreement with the Department of Justice over "permanently terminating" the anti-weaponization fund and clarifying the scope of the audit settlement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Powers also responded to surveillance concerns by clarifying that his company’s software only blocks the printer from making prohibited parts — it doesn’t flag them to authorities or log users’ intellectual property.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
I would enshrine gender equality in the Constitution, explicitly clarifying that the Equal Rights Amendment is part of our founding document.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
This included clarifying the powers councils in England have to set stricter litter rules when considering planning applications.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Added to all her other chores was the task of clarifying the syrup brought up to the house.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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.
