explain

verb

ex·​plain ik-ˈsplān 

explained; explaining; explains

transitive verb

1

a

: to make known

explain the secret of your success

b

: to make plain or understandable

footnotes that explain the terms

2

: to give the reason for or cause of

unable to explain his strange conduct

3

: to show the logical development or relationships of

explained the new theory

intransitive verb

: to make something plain or understandable

a report that suggests rather than explains

explainable

ik-ˈsplā-nə-bəl 

adjective

Phrases

explain oneself

: to clarify one's statements or the reasons for one's conduct

Synonyms

• clarify
• clear (up)
• construe
• demonstrate
• demystify
• elucidate
• explicate
• expound
• get across
• illuminate
• illustrate
• interpret
• simplify
• spell out
• unriddle

Choose the Right Synonym for explain

explain, expound, explicate, elucidate, interpret mean to make something clear or understandable.

explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known.

explain the rules

expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation.

expounding a scientific theory

explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis.

explicate a poem

elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit.

elucidate an obscure passage

interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something.

interpreting a work of art

Examples of explain in a Sentence

I need a lawyer to explain this contract to me.

The professor explained the poem to the class.

She explained how the machine worked.

I explained to them that I would be available by phone.

Scientists could not explain the strange lights in the sky.

I don't know how to explain the dog's strange behavior.

We asked him to explain his reasons to us.

Can you explain why no one was informed earlier?

That explains why we were so far behind schedule.

Give me a chance to explain.

Recent Examples on the Web

Shakir says Sanders is now urging Biden to lay out a second-term progressive agenda, and that Sanders has a frank pitch for Biden moving forward: Acknowledge problems and explain how they're being addressed. —Elena Moore, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024

This might explain why Albers’s prints are sometimes deemed tamer than her textiles. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024

Her family tried to explain her developmental disabilities, and Masten’s physical disabilities are visible, but deputies wouldn’t listen, according to the suit. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024

In explaining her decision at the time, Mitchell said the case hinged on whether the decision to shoot Osman could be justified under self-defense laws or laws governing the use of deadly force by law enforcement. —Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024

In a late March interview with Variety, director Álvarez explained where, indeed, his movie takes place in the larger cinematic timeline. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024

Despite the narrator’s occasional moralizing (added in at the insistence of the book’s original publisher, the author has explained), the novel’s relationships feel true to the complexity of both its characters and its era. —Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024

But such commentary is an attempt to explain something that isn’t happening. —Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024

Principal Xavier Kimber explained that the school would be losing several important learning interventions, including summer school and key staff members. —Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English explanen, from Latin explanare, literally, to make level, from ex- + planus level, flat — more at floor

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Phrases Containing explain

• explain away
• explain oneself
• hasten to add/say/explain (etc.)

Kids Definition

explain

verb

ex·​plain ik-ˈsplān 

1

: to make plain or understandable

2

: to give the reason for or cause of

explainable

-ˈsplā-nə-bəl 

adjective

explainer noun