explain
Americanverb (used with object)
-
explains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
explained,
past participle, past
-
explaining
present participle
-
to make plain or clear; render understandable or intelligible.
to explain an obscure point.
- Synonyms:
- explicate
- Antonyms:
- confuse
-
to make known in detail.
to explain how to do something.
-
to assign a meaning to; interpret.
How can you explain such a silly remark?
-
to make clear the cause or reason of; account for.
I cannot explain his strange behavior.
- Synonyms:
- justify
verb (used without object)
-
explains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
explained,
past participle, past
-
explaining
present participle
verb phrase
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to make (something) comprehensible, esp by giving a clear and detailed account of the relevant structure, operation, surrounding circumstances, etc
-
(tr) to justify or attempt to justify (oneself) by giving reasons for one's actions or words
Usage
What are other ways to say explain?
To explain something is to make it plain or clear, or to render it understandable or intelligible. How does explain compare to synonyms elucidate, expound, and interpret? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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explainernoun
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explanatornoun
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overexplainverb
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preexplainverb
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reexplainverb (used with object)
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explainableadjective
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misexplainedadjective
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nonexplainableadjective
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unexplainableadjective
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unexplainedadjective
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unexplainingadjective
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well-explainedadjective
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unexplainablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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explainsimple
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explainssimple
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have explainedperfect
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has explainedperfect
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am explainingprogressive
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are explainingprogressive
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is explainingprogressive
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have been explainingperfect progressive
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has been explainingperfect progressive
Past
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explainedsimple
-
had explainedperfect
-
was explainingprogressive
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were explainingprogressive
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had been explainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of explain
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English explanen, from Latin explānāre “to smooth out, make intelligible, spread out on flat surface”; see origin at ex- 1, plane 1
Explanation
To explain something is to define it, show how it works, or just tell what it is. Explaining helps people understand. If you know football really well, then you could probably explain it to a non-fan. Explaining makes things clearer. A lot of teaching is explaining — telling how something works. Also, if you do something wrong, people will ask you to explain your actions. Explaining can help someone "get it" — whatever "it" is.
Vocabulary lists containing explain
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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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:
That process could help explain why large objects do not remain in the strange combinations of states allowed by quantum mechanics, such as the dead-and-alive situation imagined in Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
While Battleground tried to explain that it was playing a long game, its linkup with Davis, who was attracting extraordinary national attention, applied pressure on both to show immediate results.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
That sentiment helped explain why this has been a tough year for incumbents, including here in Michigan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Lucas and Hobson went to great lengths to explain why the Lucas Museum matters and why it is different from other museums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
“OK, but you can explain that, right? You can tell him you never agreed to that one, and you only wrote ‘ew’ because you were in denial.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
That mechanism also explains why bistrifluron works relatively slowly.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
What explains the insider buying at a time when energy prices and stocks might soon retreat hard?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
Next, Sam Sankar of the environmental-law organization Earthjustice explains why SCOTUS’ longstanding skepticism towards the environment does not make him as pessimistic as one might expect.
From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026
Federal audit records for 2024 show that, despite having "an operating deficit", it had a surplus of millions of dollars - as Aisha Sembhi explains.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The scruffy student explains, “I saw Picnic_ant at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. She bagged my food. Actually, she’s there every Friday afternoon, so.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
As Ajoy and Onishi explained, they instead squelch their doubts and fall in line.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
In other words, as Alex Kirshner explained for Slate, Saylor was selling $4 worth of exposure to Bitcoin for $5.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
"The once-common small tortoiseshell butterfly is now rarely seen for example, and there are far fewer records of the two-spot ladybird," Winnall explained.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
They explained in a statement why making “NAZA” was so important.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“This facility is testing out some new innovations in security,” Callaway explained as he walked over to the steel door and pressed his hand against a large black panel to the right of it.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Webb said it’s the responsibility of the veterans on both sides to keep that history alive by explaining the enmity to the young players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Pop star Pink, who is Jewish, reposted an anti-Macklemore meme and then her own message, explaining her criticism of the rapper's comments.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
But arguably more important than the art collection or the political strategy, and perhaps more important even than the dues collection, in explaining the Communist Party’s unlikely longevity, is the building we were in itself.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
In June, Barrow admitted that The Gambia owed money to Senegal's public electricity provider, Senelec, explaining that the financial strain has complicated efforts to stabilize the power supply.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Washington also rejected this request, explaining that Andre, regardless of his personal attractiveness, was no more and no less than a spy.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
