Synonym Chooser

How does the verb interpret contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of interpret are elucidate, explain, explicate, and expound. While all these words mean "to make something clear or understandable," interpret adds to explain the need for imagination or sympathy or special knowledge in dealing with something.

interpreting a work of art

When can elucidate be used instead of interpret?

The meanings of elucidate and interpret largely overlap; however, elucidate stresses the throwing of light upon as by offering details or motives previously unclear or only implicit.

elucidate an obscure passage

When would explain be a good substitute for interpret?

While the synonyms explain and interpret are close in meaning, explain implies a making plain or intelligible what is not immediately obvious or entirely known.

explain the rules

When is it sensible to use explicate instead of interpret?

In some situations, the words explicate and interpret are roughly equivalent. However, explicate adds the idea of a developed or detailed analysis.

explicate a poem

When might expound be a better fit than interpret?

The words expound and interpret can be used in similar contexts, but expound implies a careful often elaborate explanation.

expounding a scientific theory

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of interpret Thursday's announcement sparked excitement among anti-immigration campaigners, some of whom interpreted it as meaning there are 55 million foreign visa holders currently in the U.S. who could be deported. James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025 Flynn is set to take over the role Isaacs previously played in the movies as the evil Malfoy patriarch for HBO's upcoming TV series, and Isaacs can't wait to see how Flynn interprets the character. EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025 Trump’s action directs federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, to interpret Title IX rules as prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in female sports categories. Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025 Haggard has noted that Baird's congressional mailers have included images of his son, Beau, and have increasingly left off his first name ― a move Haggard has interpreted publicly as Baird subtly introducing his son as a successor to his seat. Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for interpret
Recent Examples of Synonyms for interpret
Verb
  • Paige Bueckers explained her unexpected absence against the Connecticut Sun earlier this week.
    Grant Afseth, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
  • The death of his son Hamlet ( a title card on the film explains the name Hamlet is another way of saying Hamlet) has directly affected the creation of this dark story with so much death at its center, and a ghostly presence that becomes its spiritual core.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • His dad, Frank Beamer, spent three decades building a legacy as Virginia Tech’s greatest football coach, and Shane Beamer played there and coached for five seasons under his father.
    David Ubben, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
  • This year's slate of 9:30 a.m. international games, again, starts in Week 4 when the Vikings play Steelers and Rodgers at Croke Park in the NFL's first regular-season game in Dublin, Ireland.
    Jim Sergent, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This story has been updated to clarify the number of cameras at Wayne State.
    John Wisely, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The amendment clarifies that if a president dies, resigns, or is removed, the vice president immediately assumes the presidency.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • When culture starts performing alignment instead of living it, most companies reach for fixes: tighter messaging, new values, more playbooks.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • The piece was to be performed at a church near McVeigh's execution site in Terre Haute, Indiana, then recorded and played on the radio so that McVeigh would have a chance to hear it.
    Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • For example, as illustrated in my analysis here, after accounting for market volatility, generating nearly $500,000 a year in pre-tax income for 45 years would require a $15,000,000 starting retirement portfolio.
    Kristin McKenna, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • And Breakfast No one’s experience better illustrates Harrisonburg’s magnetic pull than that of Becca and Joel Graham.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In the episode, Kane portrayed Samantha, a poultry heiress competing for Frank's heart on the reality show.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Anderson also portrayed Jayne Mansfield in a 1980 TV film opposite a then-unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Announced in October 2023, the Flight Ticket Initiative is a program run jointly by ESA and the European Union that offers subsidized flight opportunities for European companies and organizations seeking to demonstrate new satellite technologies in orbit.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Each of these leaders demonstrates how a clear sense of purpose can lead to tangible, world-changing impact.
    Laurel Donnellan, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The eyewitness, according to Fox, also heard a racial slur by one of the White people before the events depicted in the video.
    Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 29 Aug. 2025
  • The heartfelt lyrics poignantly articulate the slow fading of their once bright connection, depicting the pain of watching a previously vibrant flame flicker and ultimately extinguish despite their sincere efforts to nurture and revive it over time.
    Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Interpret.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interpret. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.

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