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.
-
to make clear or intelligible, as by examples or analogies; exemplify.
-
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
-
(tr) to explain or decorate (a book, text, etc) with pictures
-
(tr) an archaic word for enlighten
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
illustratornoun
-
overillustrateverb (used with object)
-
preillustrateverb (used with object)
-
reillustrateverb (used with object)
-
superillustrateverb (used with object)
-
illustratableadjective
-
illustrativeadjective
-
illustrativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
illustratesimple
-
illustratessimple
-
have illustratedperfect
-
has illustratedperfect
-
am illustratingprogressive
-
are illustratingprogressive
-
is illustratingprogressive
-
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
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
But Prof Damian Roland, a practising emergency medicine consultant, notes that the drama does illustrate wider health challenges.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Life specialized in photo essays in which the pictures did not illustrate the story but told it, and this was Smith’s forte.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
This may illustrate the point Rogers made about Polish stocks being under-owned:
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
To illustrate the time savings of building autonomous AI agents with Astra, the company said the model could cut apartment hunting from six hours to under 10 minutes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Dingiswayo’s Zulus illustrate that each of those agents contributed somewhat independently to history’s pattern.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Drama kings say this illustrates the death of old-school masculinity, while medical experts such as Goncalves attribute it to other factors, including an increase in obesity and diabetes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Hegel’s reading of “Antigone” illustrates his thesis-antithesis-synthesis view of dialectical progress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
In their Lancet write-up the doctors state: "This case illustrates both the promise and the remaining challenges of clinical kidney xenotransplantation."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The accompanying chart illustrates how strong the seasonal headwinds are during this period.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
This example from the Jordan Valley, like that from Tell Abu Hureyra, illustrates that the first farmers used their detailed knowledge of local species to their own benefit.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
If ever a company illustrated the pitfalls of ignoring amortization, Bending Spoons is it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Arsenal's superiority was illustrated by having 26 shots, their most in a single Champions League match since records started being kept in 2003-04.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The market timers’ unseemly rush for the exits is illustrated in the accompanying chart of the average recommended equity exposure among a subset of short-term market timers who focus on the Nasdaq stock market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
"Narrative art is stories that are illustrated," Bates said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
His eldest daughter, Miranda, no longer wrote him the happy illustrated letters she’d regularly sent his way throughout her earlier girlhood.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
In recent years, Unite Here Local 11 has filed numerous complaints over the Inglewood facility, claiming various wage and health issues, illustrating a bitter battle over movement at the bargaining table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 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
That’s more than 3% of the country’s adult population, illustrating the feverish extent of stock market speculation and the danger of leverage.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Eight of the tournament's 48 squads have at least as many players born abroad as in the country, illustrating how modern international football increasingly mirrors patterns of migration.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
And I really have gotten better at illustrating people.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
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.
