illustrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
illustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
illustrated,
past participle, past
-
illustrating
present participle
-
to furnish (a book, magazine, etc.) with drawings, pictures, or other artwork intended for explanation, elucidation, or adornment.
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to make clear or intelligible, as by examples or analogies; exemplify.
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Archaic. to enlighten.
verb (used without object)
-
illustrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
illustrated,
past participle, past
-
illustrating
present participle
verb
-
to clarify or explain by use of examples, analogy, etc
-
(tr) to be an example or demonstration of
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(tr) to explain or decorate (a book, text, etc) with pictures
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(tr) an archaic word for enlighten
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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illustratornoun
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overillustrateverb (used with object)
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preillustrateverb (used with object)
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reillustrateverb (used with object)
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superillustrateverb (used with object)
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illustratableadjective
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illustrativeadjective
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illustrativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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illustratesimple
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illustratessimple
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have illustratedperfect
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has illustratedperfect
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am illustratingprogressive
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are illustratingprogressive
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is illustratingprogressive
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have been illustratingperfect progressive
-
has been illustratingperfect progressive
Past
-
illustratedsimple
-
had illustratedperfect
-
was illustratingprogressive
-
were illustratingprogressive
-
had been illustratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of illustrate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin illustrātus, past participle of illustrāre “to illuminate, make clear, give glory to”; see il- 1, luster 1, -ate 1
Explanation
To illustrate is to make something more clear or visible. Children's books are illustrated with pictures. An example can illustrate an abstract idea. The word illustrate comes from the Latin illustrare 'to light up or enlighten.' Pictures in a book enlighten the reader, and a good example can enlighten someone on a complex topic. Another use: The government's actions illustrate how out of touch it is with the people. The history of this word illustrates how language changes over time, and how knowing the original meaning can help you understand the word in a deeper way.
Vocabulary lists containing illustrate
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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:
The latest economic numbers amply illustrate the challenge of actually delivering them.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
None of this addresses another communication issue that has received widespread attention: whether or how the Fed might generate alternative scenarios to illustrate key risks.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The secretary’s examples of Western heroism were the Spartans at Thermopylae and the philosopher Socrates, both of whom, he said, illustrate the “Western” willingness to “pay any cost for a cause worthy of his loyalty.”
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026
These compounds are important because they illustrate how closely microbial activity and human metabolism are connected.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
I began to piece two rows of five drabs each together to illustrate my point.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
In a Target parking lot in Bossier City, La., I encountered Jeff Cheetham, whose unlikely story illustrates the good and the bad of EVs in America today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Mostly, as your letter illustrates, there are often rich and wonderful and challenging and even painful life stories behind terms like “renters” and “homeowners.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
This moment of peril illustrates the layers making up the modern battlefield.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In Mogadishu, resident Muqtar Hussein said the situation in South West "illustrates the risks of proceeding with disputed elections without political consensus".
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
A wall of royal emblems illustrates the tiers of the high and middle houses.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
The dominance of the pair - who split all of the eight Grand Slam titles in 2024 and 2025 between them - was illustrated by the huge gap to the rest of the field.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
In Beatles scholar Kevin Howlett’s detailed account of the making of the album, presented here in a tastefully illustrated 88-page hardback book, one of the unsung heroes of the record is Hazel Yarwood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
There’s a method to all this madness, and it’s best illustrated by the fact that Vance is the one leading the charge.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
“The pullback in activity also illustrated potential vulnerability in software valuations,” the firm says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Samuel Riddle bore a startling resemblance to the illustrated figure on a Monopoly board.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
In 2003, non-dairy creamer had contributed just 7.71 calories per day, illustrating how dramatically its role in Americans' coffee consumption had changed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
The rotation into long-dated Treasury ETFs is more than five standard deviations away from its historical average, illustrating just how extreme this shift is relative to normal activity.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
That sentiment cropped up repeatedly in interviews, too: Early guests seemed to believe the museum’s brochure, which notes that the galleries are about the “narrative art” of illustrating stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
On the bouncing folk-rock number “Liberty Tree,” which again mentions Bobby, she sings, “I was alone with my thoughts / In an outline of chalk,” illustrating how isolation can feel like death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
I can tease out this 'secret’ natural relationship between a note and its higher self by illustrating the magic of musical pitch.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
