explain Hear it!

explain Definition

ex·plain (ek splān′, ik-)

transitive verb

  1. to make clear, plain, or understandable
  2. to give the meaning or interpretation of; expound
  3. to account for; state reasons for

Etymology: ME explanen < L explanare, to flatten < ex-, out + planare, to make level < planus, level (see plane): sp. infl. by plain

intransitive verb

to give an explanation

explain Related Forms

ex·plain′·able adjective

explain Idioms

explain away

to state reasons for so as to justify, often by minimizing, or make understandable

explain oneself

  1. to make clear what one means
  2. to give reasons justifying one's conduct

explain Synonyms

explain

v.

interpret, explicate, account for, elucidate, illustrate, clarify, illuminate, make clear, describe, expound, teach, manifest, reveal, disclose, point up, point out, demonstrate, tell, refine, read, translate, paraphrase, render, put in other words, decipher, assign a meaning to, construe, define, disentangle, justify, rationalize, untangle, unravel, make plain, unfold, come to the point, put across, throw light upon, show by example, restate, rephrase, simplify, demystify, annotate, comment on, remark upon, offer an explanation, resolve, clear up, set right, put on the right track, unscramble, spell out, articulate, go into detail, get to the bottom of, figure out, speak out, emphasize, cast light upon, get across, get over, get through, get to, bring out, work out, solve, make sense of, make oneself understood, hammer into one's head*, put in plain English*.

Antonyms puzzle, confuse*, confound.

explain implies making clear or intelligible something that is not known or understood to explain how a machine operates; expound implies a systematic and thorough explanation, often by a person having expert knowledge to expound a theory; explicate implies a scholarly analysis or exposition that is developed in detail the explication of a Biblical passage; elucidate implies a shedding light upon by clear and specific explanation, illustration, etc. to elucidate the country's foreign policy; to interpret is to bring out meanings not immediately apparent, as by translation, searching insight, or special knowledge how do you interpret his behavior?; construe suggests a careful interpretation of something especially where meaning is ambiguous her silence was construed as agreement

explain Usage Examples

Followed by a transitive particle

away: They turned to superstition as well as religion to explain away the causes.

Object

  • phenomenon: They use physical ideas to explain simple phenomena for example, the formation of shadows, sounds being heard through a variety of materials.
  • difference: And can you explain the difference between a PCT and PCG?
  • concept: Worked examples may help in explaining technical concepts to lay people.
  • reason: Mr Huhne said: " David Miliband must explain the reasons for the current cutbacks.
  • everything: He didn't know much about HIV, so I explained everything.
  • origin: The opening address was given by Mrs Lynn Allen who set out the objectives and explained the Canadian origins.

Used with why or when

  • why: In the ' Answer ' , you can explain why you disagree with the facts used to refuse your claim.
  • what: Reading the author Try to explain what, in your view, the author wants us to think at various points.
  • who: But none of this is used to explain who she became.
  • where: Write a story explaining where you think the treasure came from.
  • which: Explain which could be most conveniently used in the laboratory.
  • when: They see me going back to old behaviors and one of the hardest things is not being able to explain when it happens again.

Modifying Another Word

  • briefly: I find unlikely I'll just briefly explain the plot of Friends.
  • clearly: The man of taste explained very clearly how a piece may be in some manner interesting without having a grain of merit.
  • partly: The problems associated with these preparations may be partly explained by a series of studies carried out by Swanson et al ( 1999 ).

Preposition: in

  • detail: These courses are explained in more detail in section 2.
  • term: The lifecycle explained in non-technical terms: business users will not be baffled by IT jargon.
  • chapter: This procedure of taking fish on board is explained in the chapter on hauling.
  • section: The values " Index " , " Next " , and " Prev " are explained in the section on link types.