What does "explain" mean?
To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of.
Explain
/ɪkˈspleɪn/ verb
verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of.
- Grammar: explain is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: clarify, explicate, illustrate, justify.
- Useful contrasts: addled, baffling, befuddled.
- Usage evidence: It would take forever for me to explain everything.
How to use "explain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "explain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "explain" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "explain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "explain" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "explain" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "clarify" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "explain", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of. transitive
"The issue was explained to the governor in detail."
- 2 serve as a reason or cause or justification of wordnet
- 3 To give the reason for, justification for, or cause of. transitive
"It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […]."
- 4 make plain and comprehensible wordnet
- 5 To make flat, smooth out. obsolete
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 define wordnet
- 7 To unfold or make visible. obsolete
"April 14, 1684, John Evelyn, a letter sent to the Royal Society concerning the damage done to his gardens by the preceding winter The horse-chestnut is […] ready to explain its leaf."
- 8 To make something plain or intelligible. intransitive
"She tried to explain but he wouldn’t listen."
Antonyms
Example
"It would take forever for me to explain everything."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "explain"?
Common synonyms include: clarify, explicate, illustrate, justify, absolve, absolve.
How do you use "explain" in a sentence?
It would take forever for me to explain everything.
How do you pronounce "explain"?
Pronounced /ɪkˈspleɪn/.
Etymology
From Middle English explanen, from Old French explaner, from Latin explanō (“I flatten, spread out, make plain or clear, explain”), from ex- (“out”) + planō (“I flatten, make level”), from planus (“level, plain”); see plain and plane. Compare esplanade, splanade. Displaced Old English reċċan.