clarify
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
verb
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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:
This unusual thermodynamic pattern may help clarify how localized regions of structure and complexity can arise.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Often, commentators first clarify that they’re open to questioning narratives before arguing that this specific narrative shouldn’t be questioned.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
Food and Drug Administration stated, “To clarify, this false positive lab sample does not change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Jenrick was asked to clarify whether the package offered to Farage was similar to that of Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“So basically,” he said, as though he just wanted to clarify a few points, “you’d like to give the impression that I’m working for the Ministry?”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
It’s not that the clothes were ever disappointing, she clarifies — it’s just that the anticipation was such a big part of the process.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
The bill, which clarifies the regulatory structure around digital assets, is making slow progress through Congress.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
Barnaby clarifies that he wants her to forge . . . her way . . . through this little difficulty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
“Her courage today doesn’t change our path; it clarifies it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
“But this is not, I suppose, a matter for the police. A civil, not a legal, matter,” she clarifies.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Ball later clarified that he wasn’t advocating for the U.S. government to discourage Chinese AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Tesla has not clarified if its semitruck has an automatic emergency braking system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Any eventual payout would be reduced by taxes, as well as profit-sharing agreements with its litigation funder and former PriceRunner shareholders, the company clarified.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Hawksley later clarified that he had enjoyed the show despite its length, writing: "The performance was brilliant - but it can't be right to charge that much for an hour, late on Sunday night."
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
“I ain’t grow up with him,” Tess’s mother clarified.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
In her order, she responded to Blanche’s testimony by clarifying that a dismissal does not “deprive the court of authority to resolve issues collateral to the merits.”
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
There, Thomas told Roa he was “up the hill behind LA,” clarifying he was in Piñon Hills, to which Roa responded that he was in Yucaipa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
This lone holdout is clarifying: If one index gatekeeper could keep its standards, the others didn’t have to lower theirs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Before quickly clarifying: "Well, the intro to Talk Show Host."
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
He went on to bequeath little bits of money and jewelry to each of them, never clarifying which one he considered his Koh-i-noor.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
